Rise of a Star Knight
by Nickshepard
Summary: There was more to the story of the Four Maidens that Ozpin told Pyrrha. After the Fall of Beacon, Jaune isn't the same, he discovers his semblance and his true feelings too late. [ARKOS story. Strong/PowerfulJaune] M for language and dismemberment. This is a Hobbit AU/Crossover, which will have taken place two years after the Fall of Beacon(Post Vol. 3) Completed! {Chpt. 1 revised}
1. A Star is Born

**Rise of a Star Knight**

* * *

 **AN: I have had a hard time dealing with the loss of Pyrrha. Mostly for Jaune's sake. This story is mostly about Jaune not only fulfilling his destiny but also dealing with his loss.**

 **In this story, you will learn that there was more to that legend than just the Maidens, and Jaune is apart of it.**

 **This story will be somewhat of a Hobbit AU/Crossover (I'm using the movies, which I loved), with a few twists of my own. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **(Revision): After rereading this and wanting to fix it, my other beta-reader is helping me to fix any leftover mistakes made.**

 **My Beta-readers are Nightengale4698 and Breakawayfan, BOTH have been a great help in my stories and beyond!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own RWBY or The Hobbit; they belong to their respected owners.

(Action/talking)

 **(Authors notes)**

 _(Thinking)_

* * *

 **A Star is Born**

* * *

(Just outside the CCT tower)

The exact moment she grabbed him and pulled him in for the kiss, everything became clear for Jaune. He loved Pyrrha. He could feel his heart beating fast, faster than he has ever felt before. He was just as shocked as he was happy for this kiss.

He raised his arms and held her close. Feeling her warmth through his armor was the best feeling he has ever felt, almost like standing next to a fire after being in the cold for too long. When she broke the kiss, she took a few steps away from him.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said with a sad voice. The she used her polarity to push Jaune into a container of sorts. He looked around and recognized the container as one of the pod lockers.

"PYRRHA! What the hell are you doing?!" Jaune shouted. He was starting to get scared and angry at the same time. "Pyrrha, please… don't do this!"

He could see her pressing the buttons on the pod to send it away. She looked at him with sad eyes, just as he was about to tell her how he felt, the pod lifted off and flew away.

He could only watch as the tower was getting smaller and smaller. When he finally stopped, he had landed on the outskirts of Beacon. He kicked open the locker so hard the door went flying ten feet away.

Jaune pulled out his scroll and called the only person who could move fast enough to help Pyrrha.

"Jaune! Where are you?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss! Listen! Please, you have to stop her!" Jaune had a voice that was a mix of anger and worry.

"What?!"

"PYRRHA! She's going after the woman in red at the top of the tower. She can't win against her alone!"

Weiss sounded scared, "Jaune, where are you!?"

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! Just get to her, and help her however you can! I'll be there soon!" Jaune said as he closed his scroll and started running for the nearest Evacuation Center.

* * *

(Streets of Vale)

As Jaune was running through the now war-torn streets of Vale, he ran into two Deathstalkers.

"AH! Not now!" He pulled out his sword and opened his shield. As the first scorpion swung its left claw, Jaune blocked it with his shield. But then the stinger of the other scorpion came down next to him. If he hadn't have heard it come down, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it. He backed up fast before the first one could get him with its claws again. He then charged forward to the first one, dodging both claws and the stinger before he stabbed his sword into the beast's eye.

The scorpion wailed in pain and backed off, giving the other one a chance to strike. Jaune barely had enough time to block it with is shield. Its stinger struck his shield so hard that it sent him flying into the wall ten feet behind him, making a man-sized hole.

He quickly pushed the rubble off his body and rolled to his left before another stinger came through the hole he made and stabbed where he was. He started running out the door leading to the other side of the building hoping to lose them. As he got outside, the other scorpion was waiting for him there. As it swung its claw at him, he realized that this time he didn't have time to block.

The claw collided with his chest plate, causing it to crack, and he was sent flying twenty feet. He landed in the middle of a four way intersection of the city. He put his feet under him, and spat blood. He looked up to see the scorpion slowly walk toward him, he then looked to his left to see the second one coming down the street.

He could tell right away why the first one was walking slowly; it was playing with him before it would try to kill him. The one on the left, which was now sporting a cut eye, although didn't have a face that could show expression, he could tell it was pissed.

 _"I guess this is why Pyrrha sent me away. I wasn't strong enough. I could never stand a chance against that woman in red. I can't even take on a Deathstalker on my own, and after all our training at the academy, she could do it in her sleep. I guess I'm not hero material."_ Jaune thought to himself.

 _"And if so, I will go out fighting."_ Jaune then took his normal battle stance, facing between both of them, looking back and forth at both.

The first one to charge was the one he stabbed. It came at him at full speed, plowing though and vaulting over abandoned cars and trucks in its way. Jaune closed his eyes, preparing for the end. Then he heard a bell, almost like the one he heard at the clock tower of Beacon, followed by the howl of the oncoming scorpion. He opened his eyes, deciding to face his enemy rather than hide behind his eyelids. He raised his shield as the scorpions stinger came down fast towards him, while he was staring into the hollow eyes of the scorpion.

At this point he expected to be either plunged into the ground or sent flying again, but instead, he was still standing there. He then heard a painful growl and saw the scorpion back off. Jaune looked up to his shield and saw that it was glowing, surrounded by an ethereal white. Once he noticed the scorpion had retracted its tail, he saw that its whole stinger was gone.

Jaune looked down to see broken green fragments on the ground. "What the hell?"

The other scorpion to his right started to charge now. Instead of using its stinger, it swung its claw at him. Jaune didn't even think, he just swung his sword at the claw, expecting it to be deflected. The scorpion backed off and howled, like the other, in pain. Jaune looked to its claw and saw that the bottom half was still attached but the top half was missing. He turned around and saw that the missing half was behind him. Jaune quickly looked to his sword and saw that it was now glowing as well. "What's happening?"

The now stinger-less scorpion tried to surprise attack Jaune as he was distracted. Again without thinking, Jaune jumped up high and landed on the beast's back. With both hands he then stabbed the breast in the back of its head, between the plates. It howled for a few seconds before it fell down and became quiet.

The other one shot its stinger at him as he was stood on the first. He jumped in time before the stinger hit him and pierced the first one's corpse. He started running up the scorpion's tail and cut it with his sword as he ran. The tail was cut into pieces before he had landed on the beast's back. Unlike before, it knew what he was doing; it started moving around, trying to make Jaune fall. Jaune jumped off and swung his sword at its legs. One by one, he cut all the legs on the left side and then stabbed it the same way he did the first. The creature howled and went limp before fading away.

He backed up a few steps and looked at his weapons. "How on Remnant did I do that!?" When he got a closer look at his weapons, he could vaguely see a thin light barrier wrapped around the sword and shield. He looked down to see that it wrapped around his legs as well, which would explain why he was able to jump as high as he did. "This is my semblance! I'm using this 'light' to enhance my weapons and body!"

His excitement was cut short when he heard screams not too far away. He ran to where they were coming from and saw the remaining students of Beacon fighting for their lives against waves of Grimm.

* * *

(Evacuation Zone)

Most of the remaining students were fighting off the Grimm while the others were tending to the wounded. Team CFVY, SSSN, and all the other students were engaging Grimm attacking the Evacuation Zone. The only Beacon staff that were there were Dr. Oobleck and Professor Port.

Coco noticed in the distance a giant Grimm charging at them; it looked to be a giant spiked elephant. "GOLIATH!" She shouted as she started unloading her whole Gatling gun on it. All the other students were doing the same, but the beast didn't seem to slow down.

Jaune was not too far away from the shooting, and saw the Goliath charging at the students. Jaune drew his sword, looked down to his legs to see that they were now glowing, as well as his sword. He put his shield on his belt and started running, fast.

Coco was starting to show a very nervous look on her face, given the sight of the giant Grimm not slowing down. Then a light shone to the left of her, she quickly looked and saw a figure sprinting towards the Goliath. It held a sword and was going faster than anything she has ever seen before. _"Who's that?"_

Jaune sprinted as fast as he could and swung his sword horizontally with all his strength. Next thing he knew he was standing on the opposite side of the beast's path and his sword at the end of the cutting motion.

The beast's body tumbled down hard and stopped, its head rolled a few feet further and stopped just a few inches from Coco's feet.

Coco, and everyone else there, had a look of complete and utter shock on their faces. They saw the glowing figure walk towards them. Coco couldn't see his face; there was a light all around him. It faded away, revealing Jaune Arc to everyone.

"Jaune?! How in the hell did you do that?" Neptune asked with his jaw to the floor.

Jaune noticed that everyone had their jaws to the floor as well, he put his hand behind his head and smiled, "I... found my semblance." He quickly looked around and saw Yang and Blake on the ground. Ren and Nora were sitting on the ground exhausted. He then looked for Weiss and Ruby but didn't see them. "Where are Weiss and Ruby?"

"They went to the tower. They went after you and Pyrrha." Sun said.

Jaune looked to the tower, "Pyrrha..." He looked to the group of fighters, "I need to get back there!"

"What? Are you crazy?!" Cardin shouted.

"That's right! We're going with you!" Nora said, while trying to use her hammer as a stand, and failing. Ren was having a hard time standing as well, but he tried to help Nora stand anyway. "We're with you."

"You guys can barely stand; you won't be able to make it there." Jaune said as he helped them sit back down.

"New powers or not, there is an entire army of Grimm between here and that tower. You won't be able to make it on your own." Cardin said with a doubtful look.

Jaune started to look annoyed that Cardin called Jaune crazy. Just before he could respond to that, Coco spoke. "He won't be." Coco started walking towards Jaune and stopped right next to him.

"Not without me." Fox was the second to step forward. He stood next to Coco, "Like you would last ten seconds without your partner."

Coco smiled at that remark then turned to the rest of her team, "Velvet, stay here and help protect the Evacuation point. Yatsuhashi, keep her safe."

Both Velvet and Yatsu nodded their heads in agreement. Coco looked to Jaune, "Right behind you."

Jaune nodded and smiled, "Let's go."

Neptune watched as they were running to the tower, he gave a quick look to Sun. A look that Sun was familiar with, Sun nodded in agreement. "Get going. I'll look after them" Sun said as he gestured to Yang and Blake. With that, Neptune started running after Jaune and the others.

* * *

(Just outside the CCT Tower)

After fighting their way through an army of Grimm, Jaune and his makeshift team made it to the tower and saw Weiss standing there alone, surrounded by Grimm.

"Let's give Weiss some breathing room!" Jaune said to the group.

Coco started shooting at the Beowolves that were coming from to the left while Neptune fired at the right, while following Jaune and Fox as they carved their way to Weiss. Once they reached her, they formed a circle around them and started killing any Grimm that got too close.

"Jaune? Where have you been?" Weiss asked as she fell down to one knee from the exhaustion of fighting alone.

"I'll explain later. Where's Ruby?" Jaune asked in between slashes at Grimm.

"She's making her way up the tower, using my glyphs." Weiss answered.

Jaune quickly looked up and barley saw Ruby. She was half way up. _"PLEASE! Get there in time Ruby!"_

Jaune's thought was cut short due to the ground shaking below them. "What the…?"

The ground on the other side of the courtyard started to break apart and burst, sending dust and rubble everywhere. When the dust cleared, there was a giant Grimm Centipede coming out of the ground.

"Well this just keeps getting better and better." Neptune said with a sarcastic smile.

"Weiss, stay here and keep those glyphs up. Everyone else, with me!" Jaune said as he charged at the Grimm.

Weiss was about to tell him not to order her around but he was already gone.

Coco started shooting her Gatling gun at the beast's face but the armor didn't even get scratched. "Armor's too thick!"

"Then we'll aim for in between. Keep firing to distract it." Jaune charged forward and started slashing at the joints in the armor; he was able to cut into its tissue just before it swatted him away with one of its legs.

He landed on his feet just a few feet away, _"If this thing is like any other Grimm, then it is weak towards the same things."_ Jaune looked around for a few second and saw a fire-hydrant, he smiled. "Fox, go for its legs, aim between the joints, and don't let it catch you standing still."

Fox nodded and ran underneath the body and started cutting at the legs. Coco was still shooting at the beast, but it started to move towards her, fast. Fox saw this and stabbed straight upward. Just as it was about to try and bite her, it arched in pain.

Jaune looked to Neptune, "Come with me."

While Jaune and Neptune ran towards the hydrant, Fox continued what he was doing before and slashed the inside of the creature's legs. He constantly avoided being stepped on and/or stabbed by the centipede's legs, but was making progress. The creature was getting slower with its legs weakening.

"Oh, come on man, I can't do this!" Neptune protested.

Luckily for them, one of the three ports to the hydrant was pointed towards the beast. "It's just a simple job!" Jaune said as he cut the port open with his glowing sword. The water shot straight out, but it didn't reach the centipede. Coco kept backing off in the opposite direction and the beast followed.

"Coco, lead it this way!" Jaune shouted.

"Oh, sure! Why not?!" Coco shouted back. She changed her Gatling gun back into her handbag and started running at the beast. As it opened its mandibles in an attempt to eat her, Fox stabbed straight up, causing it to arch again. Coco ran under the beast, both her and Fox ran all the way through the underbelly of centipede and made their way to Jaune and Neptune.

"Get away from the water." Jaune said.

As the beast slowly turned around to face all of them, they could tell by the hissing that it was really pissed off. It started making its way to them, stepping on the giant water puddle they made with the hydrant.

"Neptune, now!" Jaune ordered.

Neptune converted his rifle into the electro-trident and stabbed it into the water. The beast was then electrocuted; it wailed in pain and thrashed around. The wailing stopped and it fell limp and flat on the water. Neptune pulled his trident out of the water.

"I think we got him!" Neptune shouted with joy.

Neptune's celebration was cut short when the giant dragon had arrived at the tower. It started circling the top. The group looked back to the Centipede as it raised its upper half and started hissing at them. The team scattered just as it came down to try to eat them. "What now?" Fox asked on the opposite side of the courtyard from Jaune.

 _"Maybe it's like the Deathstalker."_

"Keep its attention on you, guys. I have another idea." Jaune started running for the creature's tail.

It looked to see Jaune running and moved its head towards him. Coco brought out her Gatling gun again and started shooting at it to keep its attention on her. It moved towards her, but then Neptune shot it. The centipede then moved at Neptune, faster this time. Jaune had already started running up the beast's tail and up its body.

Jaune saw that it was moving for Neptune and he knew he wouldn't move in time before it ate him. He sprinted the same way he did when he killed the Goliath, his legs starting to glow and his sword shining bright.

Jaune ran up to what would be considered the 'neck' of the Centipede and stabbed straight down. The beast fell lip again and crashed down to the ground. Its head plowed through the ground, stopping just a few inches from Neptune.

Neptune's legs were shaking, his rifle was trembling, and he looked to Jaune who still had his sword in the creatures head. "I wasn't worried." Neptune said reassuringly.

Jaune smiled and was about to say something, but was stopped when a white light shone from the top of the tower. Jaune looked up and was worried what happened up there. Then the centipede raised its head again and swung Jaune off it. He went through one of the surrounding walls of the courtyard. The beast swung its head at the others, making them it another wall together.

It started getting closer, hissing loudly, green liquids flowing out of its mouth. Just as it was about to make a meal out of the group, ice spikes came up between the beast and the team. It looked to where the ice had originated, it was an exhausted Weiss down on one knee, panting.

Jaune pushed a few pieces of rubble off him and tried to stand up. He looked through the hole that he made and saw the centipede looking at Weiss. Jaune knew right away that she wasn't strong enough to fight, and he was beyond irritated that this creature would not stay down. He picked up his sword and sprinted at the beast.

His legs were glowing again; it looked as though the glowing make them run faster and harder than before. His sword and right arm began to glow as well, brighter than the glow around his legs. Just as he passed Weiss he stood fast and pointed his sword at the beast's mouth. All the glow that was on his legs and arm moved to his sword and made it shine bright as it stabbed through the beast's head. The beast wailed louder this time and backed off, it started flailing around until it fell limp and crashed into the wall on the other side of the courtyard. It began to dissolve into nothing immediately after.

Jaune turned around to Weiss and gave her a hand to help her up. Coco and the others came out from behind the ice wall Weiss made and ran to Jaune and Weiss. "I think its dead now." Jaune said with a slight laugh.

"Jaune... How in the world did you…? YOUR ARM!" Weiss had a look of horror.

Jaune looked to his right arm to see that there was a small hole in it. He didn't even notice it until she pointed it out. He then started to feel drowsy and weak on his feet. "I don't feel so good."

Jaune collapsed almost immediately after he said that. Neptune caught him before he hit the ground. They lowered him down, Weiss used her legs to help keep his head up, Jaune could barely hear them as they were talking. He looked straight into the sky, and looked to the stars.

"What's happening to him?" Weiss asked the others.

"That thing's teeth must have been like stingers." Fox said.

"We need to get him to the paramedics now!" Neptune suggested.

"Qrow!" Weiss shouted.

Jaune couldn't move his head; he could barely move his eyelids to blink.

"How is he?" Qrow asked.

"He was stung by a Giant Centipede tooth!" Coco informed.

"Alright, I know what to do..." Qrow said.

Jaune started to lose his hearing. The voices started to fade out, Qrow moved his head over Jaune's. From what Jaune could guess, he was trying to talk to him.

Jaune was no lip reader, but he was able to make out the words 'Hold on, Jaune.' from Qrow's lips.

* * *

 **I hope you guys like this.**

 **I have been thinking about this story for a while. Mostly as a way of coping for Pyrrha. I know everyone keeps saying she's dead, but I just don't want to loose hope that's all. Mostly for Jaune's sake.**

 **Before you guys start saying, "This isn't Hobbit related", well, I just haven't gotten to that part yet, I promise I'll let you know when it official begins.**

 **Until then, please review and let your friends who like Arkos know about my story.**


	2. Recovery and Revelation

**Recovery and Revelation**

* * *

 **AN: Now things are about to get REAL!**

 **I recently got a question on what a "Hobbit AU" is; basically I'm writing a RWBY story in the form of what happened in the Hobbit, but with some adjustments of my own.**

 **I still have hope that Pyrrha is out there, somewhere. But here's my story in the meantime.**

* * *

(Evacuation Base: outside the city of Vale)

There was a sound, a beeping. It was slow, it was steady. It sounded like a heart monitor. Jaune slowly opened his eyes to see that he was in a small room military hospital room. He was alone.

Jaune tried to sit up, but was having a hard time. His whole body was burning with pain. Every time he tried to move the pain intensified. He sat himself up and stopped moving to stop the pain.

After sitting up, he was able to see out the window in front of him, he could see a few Atlas soldiers and students walking past the window. _"I hope the others are doing as better than I am."_

The door to Jaune's left started to open, and in came Qrow. "Oh, good. You're awake."

Qrow pulled up a chair and put it next to Jaune's bed. He held up his hand to Jaune's face, "How many fingers do you see."

"Four." Jaunts said, his voice sounded like he was in pain, which Qrow was familiar with.

"Good, the poison is almost out of your system." Qrow said as he pulled out his flask and drank. "You're lucky, kid. Not many people survive the bite of a Ground Dweller. An adult one at that." He finished his drink and put the flask away, "Even few get to keep their limbs afterwards."

Jaune looked to his right arm and saw that it was still there, but a big bandage was wrapped around his triceps.

"But then again, you're not like any other knight." Qrow said.

Right then, that's when it hit Jaune, "PYRRHA! AHH!" Jaune shouted and tried to sit up higher but then his body felt a massive amount of pain and made him go back down.

Qrow stood up and tried to keep him from standing again. "Easy, kid. Your body still hasn't fully recovered."

"Pyrrha... Where is she!?" Jaune asked Qrow, he held onto Qrow's arm as bet he could.

"She's... (sigh) I'm sorry, Jaune. She's gone." Qrow said as he laid Jaune back on the bed.

Everything hit Jaune at once: pain, sadness, anger, fury, regret, depression. He wanted to scream but his body was too weak to let him. He tried to get up but Qrow kept him down, "Jaune STOP! Don't try to move, you'll hurt yourself." Jaune eventually stopped and let his tears flowed from his face like a waterfall. His heart felt like it was just shot by a bullet at point blank. _"I wasn't fast enough. I was SO close to her, I COULD HAVE HELPED!"_

"Jaune I need to ask you something. Was yesterday, your 18th birthday?" Qrow asked with a very serious face.

Jaune completely forgot that his birthday was coming up; he had been so focused on the tournament that he didn't even tell anyone. Jaune didn't say anything, he just nodded his reply.

"The reason why I ask is because the semblance that you have, it fully manifests when you reach the age of 18. Your semblance gives you the ability to form barriers and make your body parts glow; in doing so, it makes them stronger and faster than normal, along with enhancing the strength of your weapons." Qrow said.

Jaune gave a look of confusion as to why Qrow already knew what he could do, even though he was never there when he used it.

"I know that because it's what your father had." Qrow said.

"You knew my father?" Jaune said with a raspy voice.

"Yeah... Jonah and I were in the same class together. Whenever we weren't sparing with our teams we spared with each other. I'll tell you, he knew how to hold a sword." Qrow smiled at the memories. "And his semblance was one of a kind." Qrow then looked back to Jaune with a serious face again, "Have you ever heard of the legend of the 'Four Maidens'?"

Jaune nodded his head, "Yeah, my father used to tell me that story when I was little. It was always what he told me before I went to bed. It was about four women who help an old man and were given magical powers form him as a gift from their kindness."

Qrow nodded, "That's the one... You see, there was more to that story that most folks don't know about. Your father did know, he was going to save that story till you were old enough." Qrow paused for a few seconds, and then cleared his throat, "He made me promise to tell you if he couldn't."

"Tell me what?" Jaune asked.

"Well, after the Four Maidens left the old man in his house, they made a promise to him that they'll come back every year. They did, then came a great war. That is when the Grimm first appeared. Humanity was at war with a force they had never met before. They were out gunned and were close to being overrun. The Maidens joined in the war; each protecting a kingdom, the same kingdoms that exist today. They held their own, and when the armies of man joined the fight alongside them, they were starting to win. They were able to drive back the Grimm long enough for the border walls to be built at all kingdoms. And in their time of victory each of the Maidens fell to the power that was greater than their gifts... they fell in love."

"What does this have to do with me?" Jaune asked, he had a clueless look on his face.

"I'm getting there." Qrow said as he adjusted his seat. "Now, even though they were able to form the walls, there was still the problem of constant attacks. And one of those attacks ended with one of the Maiden's loves to being fatally wounded. He was a knight who fought alongside her for years and with all his might he saved her from being killed by a Grimm hoard. And it almost costed his life. It doesn't really say which Maiden it was but she brought him to the old man to save him. She pleaded with him to save the knight's life. The old man could see how much she loved him, and could tell how far the knight would go to protect her but the wounds he suffered. So, using his magic, he pulled a star from the heavens and placed its powers on the knight, not only healing him, but giving him great power." Qrow gestured to Jaune at that part.

"Once the old man was done, he asked the Maiden to bring her sisters back and to bring their loves as well. When the maiden came back, bringing her sisters and their knights, just like before, the old man gave each of the knights the same power he gave the first. He told them that this power would pass on through their blood line; their families would forever be the guardians of the four kingdoms. The Four Star Knights."

Once Qrow finished, he let Jaune sink in all of what he said, "So your saying, I am one of them?"

"Your ancestor, Jorrha Arc was the first of your family to be a Star Knight. Your father was the Star Knight before you, obviously. But he…" Qrow stopped himself from letting his voice cracking by closing his mouth and turning his head from Jaune.

For Qrow, the pain of losing Jonah is still raw, he cleared his throat and turned back towards Jaune as he continued, "He died before he could tell you everything you needed to know." Qrow said after taking another sip out of his flask, trying to alleviate the pain. "The day we lost him was a dark day."

"I remember..." Jaune said with a calm voice, "That was the day I left home to go to Beacon."

"And when you used your sister's transcripts to get in." Qrow pointed out with a smirk.

Jaune had a look of surprise on his face. "Ozpin's not an idiot." Qrow said after taking another sip.

"If he knew, then why did he let me in, or for that matter stay?" Jaune asked with confusion in his voice.

"You're an Arc." Qrow said as he looked Jaune in the eye with a serious face. "From the moment he saw your name on the roster he knew you had a promising future ahead of you." Qrow took another sip from his flask, "Most likely the reason why he made you the leader of you own team. He had faith in you, kid."

Jaune's face went cold, his voice calm when he spoke again, "Well... that faith was misplaced." Before Qrow could protest Jaune spoke again, "Thank you, Qrow... But I would like to be alone now."

Qrow could see the look in his eye, he blamed himself for Pyrrha. He could understand why, he wasn't just her partner, he was her leader and he couldn't save her. Just by looking at his face, if they had continued, it would only cause more pain for Jaune.

Qrow stood up, put his flask away and held his hand to Jaune, "I'm not going to tell you what to do..." Jaune slowly lifted his hand and took Qrow's, the moment their hands came together Qrow finished, "But I will advise you to see your oldest sister. She can teach you how to use your powers."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jaune said with the same voice he had earlier.

Qrow left the room, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts.

 _"I can only imagine how much it would hurt Jonah to see his son like this."_ Qrow thought as he wiped away a tear that snuck up on him.

* * *

(Still at the Military Hospital)

It's been two days since Qrow left to Patch. Jaune finally got all the poison out of his system and was able to walk again. Everyone else came to see him in that time. Weiss came by, saying that she stood up to her father and was going to stay on the path that she started, she stayed with Jaune until he was able to move. Yang was taken with Ruby to patch, but he heard she didn't take losing her arm too well.

Blake stayed as well, following Weiss' idea and stayed with Jaune till he could move. Sun and Neptune were sent back to their home kingdoms, but they promised Blake and Weiss that they'd stay in touch in the meantime. The rest of the students of Beacon went to their own homes to be with their families after such a catastrophe happened at their school.

Which left Ren and Nora; they stayed with Jaune the whole time, they had no home left to go to, and so they stayed with their leader.

Jaune was up and loading his bag, Ren, Nora, Weiss and Blake were in the room with him. They all had their bags packed as well.

"Where to?" Weiss asked Jaune.

"Why are you asking me?" Jaune said with a slightly cold voice, as he continued to load his bag with food.

"Well, it's not like we have anywhere else to go." Blake said.

"You're the only leader here." Nora said.

For the first time, Jaune hated being called that. He thought quick to solve their problem, "Head to Patch. Meet up with Ruby there."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not coming with us?" Ren asked.

"It's because I'm not." Jaune said as he finished packing his bag and made his way outside.

The others followed him, "What?! Jaune your our leader! You have to come!" Nora said with fear in her voice.

"I can't be your leader anymore." Jaune said as he continued walking.

He was stopped dead when he felt Nora wrap her arms around his body from behind. "We already lost Pyrrha. We can't lose you too."

"I can't be your leader because I'm a terrible one." Nora let Jaune go and tried to compose herself. He turned around and looked to all of them. "I was her leader. More so I was her partner. And I couldn't save her." Jaune lowered his head.

Blake was about to speak up, but was stopped by Ren.

"Ruby will be waking up soon, and when she does, she'll need a team to lead." Jaune said.

"What are you going to do?" Ren asked.

"I need answers. Answers to questions I never thought existed. The only place I can find them is home." Jaune said as he lifted his head.

Everyone could see the drops of tears in his eyes; this was hard on him too. Ren knew that begging him to stay or following him would only damage him more, so he stepped forward placed his right hand on Jaune's left shoulder, "We'll be waiting for you."

Jaune nodded his head, "Tell Ruby I said that it wasn't her fault. None of it." Ren nodded his head then let go, and Jaune turned around to one of the airfields and got on one of the planes. After walking onto the ramp, he turned to his team, his friends one last time before the door shut.

"Good Luck." Blake said

"You too." Jaune replied.

The door shut and the shuttle flew away.

* * *

(One of the Vale Royal Army Bases, the one closest to Jaune's home town)

As soon as Jaune got off the plane, he was called out by one of the base officers.

"Jaune!" the man ran to Jaune. "I'm so glad you're here. I heard what happened to Beacon." The officer said. He looked like a standard Royal knight but had a black submachine gun on his right hip and a katana on his left. His armor was a light sky blue and his sword hilt was a dark blue. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok, Tucker." Jaune said. "Is my sister here? I need to see her." Jaune asked, his voice was calm, but his face was more or less expressionless.

It didn't even take Tucker a second to see the sadness and distraught in Jaune's eyes. He could see that he was in pain, more so in emotional than physical pain. "This way." Tucker said as he gestured Jaune to follow him.

* * *

(Commanding Officer's Quarters)

A woman looking no older than 23 years old was in the room. Her eyes had a blue-green coloration on the irises. Her hair was mostly red but with some blonde highlights, most likely she dyed it herself, she had it in a ponytail. She was wearing an officer's uniform and reading data pads at her desk. She sat down when she heard a knock at the door. She rolled her eyes, _"Just when I was about to relax."_ "Come in."

Her eyes were wide open with shock to who had walked into her office. Jaune and Tucker walked in and closed the door behind them. The woman looked not only shocked but happy to see Jaune. "That will be all, Tucker."

Tucker saluted to her and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Jaune... I'm so sorry," was all she could say. Just by looking at his face she knew the kind of agony he was in; she stood up from her desk and walked around to him.

Jaune walked up to her and hugged her; he was at eye level and had his head on her right shoulder. She could feel tears bleeding through her uniform. His voice was cracking as he spoke, "Carol... I couldn't save her... I couldn't save her..."

Being his big sister, she stayed in contact with him through his time at Beacon. She was the one who gave him her old transcripts to get into Beacon in the first place. Jaune kept her informed of what he did while he was there, who he met and how much fun he head while he was training to be a Huntsman. He also told her all about his team, how he became leader of team JNPR and all about his 'beautiful' partner, the 'Warrior Princess'. So Carol knew who he was talking about when he said 'her'.

"Jaune... It wasn't your fault." She said while petting his head and moving her hand up and down her back to try and comfort him. She's lost friends before, but not the same way he did, or someone so close.

"You weren't there. By the time I was close to her, she was already..." Jaune said trying desperately to keep his voice from cracking again but failing.

She broke the hug and kissed him on the forehead. "I know that you did _everything_ you could. And I… will do _everything_ I can to help you through this."

Once he managed to compose himself, he spoke in a more calm voice, "That's why I'm here. I need you to train me to be a Star Knight."

The moment he said that title, she let him go and her face went to shock. "How do you know about that?"

"Qrow Branwen told me about them. He said he knew dad; and that you are the only one who can teach me to use my powers." Jaune didn't bother ask why she didn't tell him before, mostly because he didn't want to hear any BS excuse.

She could tell that he wanted to get straight to the point, so she nodded her head in understanding. "Alright... But I must warn you, because dad told me to. Training to be a Star Knight is a lot harder than being a Huntsman."

"I can take it." Jaune said with a determined/aggressive face.

"I hope so." Carol said with a worried look on her face. Once she let him go, she turned to her desk and started sorting through her datapads, she looked to her father's picture with a sad look on her face. _"I'm sorry, dad, but he needs to do this."_

* * *

 **I will go into more detail into the legend in the next chapter.**

 **Mostly because Jaune will be looking it up on his own.**

 **The Hobbit part of the story will come up soon, I promise.**

 **Please R &R!**

 **Arkos FOREVER!**


	3. Been a while

**"Been a while."**

* * *

 **An: Ok, so the Hobbit part of the story is coming shortly.**

 **I know my grammar isn't perfect, so bear with me on this, ok?**

 **If you haven't already noticed, I have put a couple of names from another story that belongs to Rooster Teeth into this story. Reason being, there aren't enough people in RWBY that can fill all the roles in the Hobbit. So I am putting their names, as well as a few names from the Hobbit to fill in the gaps. (And partially because some of them are awesome.)**

 **Again, I do not own anything that belongs to Rooster Teeth or Hobbit.**

 **(Update) I would like to thank Nightengale4698 for being my beta-reader and for helping met to revise this chapter.**

 **Anyway, on to the story!**

* * *

It has been a year and a half since Jaune's sister Carol agreed to train him. To say that the training for being a Star Knight was 'rough' would be an understatement. He had to learn out to properly control his semblance to the point that it would come without having to focus too hard. That was a long and painful process. He collected a few scars, but was now able to control his power with ease.

His sister helped him find out just how his power works: his aura makes light like any other, and he can manipulate that light into forming barriers. When one of these barriers is formed over a weapon it enhances the weapon immensely: for example, a barrier over the shield makes it almost indestructible, while a barrier over the sword energizes it to the point that it can cut through anything he swings it at.

As the training went on, he took his sister's advice and decided to add more to his arsenal. He was ordered a Desert Eagle pistol with his own customizations to it; it sits on his right hip. The pistol was all white metal with green camo grips, there was a small 'Arc' symbol on the handle as well.

After a few weeks of using his pistol, Jaune learned that he can even put his barrier around the gun as well: not only did the barriers make the gun more accurate; he can also put his power into the bullets themselves. For instance: if he puts a small amount of his light into the bullet, it turns into an armor-piercing round, and if he puts a lot of power, the bullet explodes on impact with its target.

His sword play has also improved. The first thing his sister taught him was to master his swordsmanship before he could learn to use a sword and shield. His sister and her first officer Tucker gave him private lessons in these teachings. Jaune's skills with a sword grew immensely, to the point that he could take on both Carol and Tucker, it would normally end in a stalemate. He would normally outlast either of them, but having to fight both at the same time pushed him to his limit. He won his first fight against the both of them when he started to use his shield again.

Carol was happy to see that Jaune was doing better now that he was stronger as a fighter, but there was one thing that she noticed that only made her sad. Jaune never smiled. She has seen him show any other facial emotion, but a smile was never among them. Carol has yet to see a smile on his face since he came to her for help. She contacted Qrow to tell him that Jaune was with her and undergoing training. She asked Qrow about what happened to Jaune's partner, what he told her only made her more empathetic to Jaune's pain.

She knew that Jaune was hurting still, and that he was using training as an excuse to ignore the pain. Like any other sister, she helped him however she could; even after she helped him get into Beacon with her old transcript.

Jaune never brought himself to go to Mistral and tell Pyrrha's family what happened face-to-face, so he sent them a letter, saying how sorry he was for their loss, and that he will not stop till he has avenged their daughter. He got a letter back from Pyrrha's mother saying she, and the rest of her family, appreciates his apology and that they wished him luck.

Jaune spent most of his non-training day's studying every legend there ever was on the Star Knights. He was surprised at what he found. The Star Knights pass on their legacy through bloodlines. The Arc family was one such bloodline. Their semblance is hereditary, only to the males. And the power can only be held by the first born son, any other would be the next in line should the first son die.

Females of the bloodline do not get the same power; the power they get is random. Some would call it, 'the luck of the draw'. The only time in recorded history that there was a female Star Knight was in the Arc family line, was Jaune's ancestor, Joan Arc. The reason why Joan became a Star Knight was because her older brother died before he could receive the mantel.

Another surprise he discovered is that a Star Knight isn't just a guardian for their kingdom against the Grimm, but to the Maidens, if necessary.

It would appear that in the past, a few Maidens fell from grace and became 'Dark Maidens'. And whenever that happened, it is the duty of the Star Knight of that kingdom to defeat that Maiden. In doing so, it would release the power of the Maiden to whoever deserves it next.

After reading this, Jaune realized what his purpose truly was. He was _this_ generation's 'Star Knight of Vale' and it was his duty to destroy the Dark Maiden who was threatening it, Cinder Fall. In most cases of a Maiden falling to darkness, it would be the same as a Knight, they would fall because they wanted more power than they were given and became power hungry. But in the case of Cinder Fall, her power was stolen by force from the original Maiden.

Jaune tried to stay updated on all that was happening at Beacon as much as possible. After Beacon fell, all of the students and the civilians of the city of Vale were evacuated. General James Ironwood had established somewhat of a perimeter around Vale and Beacon, in an attempt to keep the Grimm from wreaking havoc on the rest of the Kingdom of Vale's mainland. The people call it the "Quarantine Zone". Grimm hoards continue to mass at Beacon, so many so that it has every other kingdom scared. A hoard of this size is large enough to overrun any kingdom's boarders in a matter of hours. Ironwood has started new defensive operations to prevent such catastrophe.

Ruby and Yang's home island of Patch was lucky enough to be outside of Atlas' perimeter.

The scouts who have been to Beacon, or at least the ones that come back, have seen the dragon. It was still there, unmoved. Still 'frozen' from Ruby's special ability. The scouts gave it a name, just as a way to keep track of it; they called it 'Smaug'.

Since the Fall of Beacon, Cinder has been busy. She, along with her new Maiden powers, built a massive structure in the Forever Falls forest, putting it between Beacon and the main City of Vale. The scouts have been calling it 'The Spire'. It has become Cinder's fortress, in her 'kingdom' of Grimm. Some scouts claim they see White Fang in the tower and following Cinder's orders. They also say that she rarely leaves the tower, and when she comes back, there are Grimm following her, like pets to their master.

When the word got out on the White Fang's involvement with the Fall of Beacon, more supporters and joined them. Most joined to be free from oppression, others joined to get back at humans for years of being mistreated, the rest joined just to kill humans for the fun of it. They grew in such a high number, that they are no longer considered a terrorist organization; they are now considered a 'rogue nation' in the eyes of Remnant. At the moment, no one knows where they are, they have been good at keeping their numbers hidden from the four kingdoms to the point that the remaining three are afraid of surprise attack from the White Fang.

Then to everyone's shock, the scouts reported that, after almost two years, Smaug was no longer 'frozen' on the CCT Tower. What came as a surprise to Ironwood is that his radar nets couldn't detect it anywhere in the sky, which means that it is somewhere in the city of Vale or Beacon. Also, to make matters worse, the Vale CCT Tower was off line.

After hearing the new reports of what happened in Beacon, Jaune begged his sister to have an audience with the Council of Vale. He got his audience, but they refused his request, he didn't take it too well.

He contacted the Star Knights of the other kingdoms but got the same answer.

That was the day that he decided he was done training.

* * *

(Jaune's Apartment in one of the smaller cities of the Vale Kingdom. The Shire, his home town/ One month after Smaug was reported missing)

Jaune was packing his bags full of cloths, food, and bullets. He had his sword in its sheath/shield on the table behind him along with his new set of armor and pistol. As he was putting his stuff in his bag, he hears a knock at the door. "I ALREADY PAYED MY RENT!" was all that he said.

"Jaune, it's me!" said a woman at the door.

Jaune froze instantly. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time. He put his stuff down and walked to the door, he opened it slowly to see who had knocked. "Ruby..."

"Hey, Jaune... Been a while." She said with a slight smile.

Ruby looked a little different after they were separate for more than a year. Her outfit was similar to her usual one, but there were a few differences. She still had her red hood, and she was wearing a skirt. However, what was different was that her skirt was a little bit lower and not as wide. Her hair was the same, and she had a small scar beneath her left eye.

"Yes... It has." Jaune sounded shameful.

He was expecting a thousand questions like, 'why did you leave?', 'why didn't you call?' but what he got was, "May I come in?"

Jaune didn't hesitate to let her in, he backed up and let her walk through the door way. She made a quick look around the apartment. She noticed a picture of both their teams next to his bed. It was a picture they had taken before the Tournament started. Seeing that picture made her smile. She then noticed his weapons; most notable was the pistol next to his sword. She walked over to them and picked up the pistol.

"I'm surprised you're using a gun now." Ruby said as she tested its wait. She had to use both hands to lift it; it was too heavy for just one. She held it up to check the sight.

"I thought it was time to use... new tactics in combat. It's handier than I thought." Jaune said as he walked back into his room and started packing his bag again. "How'd you know where I was?"

"My uncle told me... when I woke up." Ruby said.

Jaune stopped for a second when she finished, then continued to pack, "Surprised you didn't come sooner."

"Ren told me what you said to him. I wanted to give you your space till you were ready." She put the gun down and walked towards him. "My uncle told me you spoke with the other Star Knights for their assistance on taking on Smaug. What did they say?"

Jaune was slightly shocked that she knew about the Star Knights, but he then remembered that she spoke with her uncle, he obviously told her. "Well... They offered their condolences for the loss of Beacon, then they said that they cannot leave their kingdoms in the possibility that what happened to Beacon would happen to them. Basically, they said, 'I'm on my own.' And that it's an 'internal affair', which is ironic considering Ironwood is basically locking Smaug up in Beacon. He might be protecting Vale, but in reality... he's just making sure that dragon doesn't go anywhere else."

"And the Council? I'm sure they would give you an army-" Ruby tried to sound hopeful but was stopped when Jaune slammed his fist on the table.

"The Council?!" he was annoyed by the mention of them. "Those bureaucrats gave up on Beacon the moment that Smaug showed up. They are already treating it like Mountain Glenn. Saying that Beacon is a lost cause." He then continued walked to his pistol and started loading the magazines. "And what they don't understand is that the priority isn't the school, or the dragon... it's the CCT tower. Without it online, the network will shatter, and when that happens there _will_ be chaos. At the moment, Remnant is lucky the Network is still holding, but it won't hold forever. Not unless someone turns it back on."

"And what are you going to do?" Ruby said as she sat down on the table next to him.

"Well... If the other three Knights won't help me, the Council won't... I'm going to Beacon on my own, to kill that dragon. If it's still there. Hopefully it will be in time for someone to fix the tower." Jaune said as he finished loading the first clip and started on another.

"Oh... that is exactly what I was hoping you would say. We'll go with you." Ruby said with a smile.

Jaune stopped half way loading, "We?"

"Well... Me, of course, Weiss, Blake," She started counting fingers, "Nora, Ren, Sun, Neptune and Team CFVY. And now, you." She pointed to Jaune at the last part.

"And dare I ask who is going to be leading this group?" Jaune asked with a sarcastic voice.

"Well... we were hoping you would." Ruby said with a slight look of innocence on her face.

"And why would you want _me_ of all people to be the leader? You and Coco are leaders." Jaune said.

"Because you're a better leader than either of us." Ruby said with a serious look on her face

Jaune faced showed his confusion, "What makes you say that?"

"Considering the fact that you lead a small team of you, Coco, Fox and Neptune back to the tower and successfully defeated a Ground Dweller. Uncle Qrow says that isn't something any normal leader could do."

"We just got lucky." Jaune scoffed with annoyance in his voice

"We both know that's not true." She said. She waited a few second expecting a reply but there wasn't one, "Jaune, you're the exact kind of leader we need to get to Beacon."

"I can't _lead_ anyone anymore, Ruby!" He took a small breath. "I can't guaranty their safety."

"Jaune, that's part of burden of leadership." Ruby said as she rested her hand on his right shoulder.

He shrugged it off, and walked a few steps away, "You don't understand. If I couldn't lead a team to save my partner... what makes you think I can even lead a group to Beacon."

Ruby hugged Jaune from behind, he could feel her lay her head against his back. Her arms were wrapped tight against his now tough chest. "We miss her too, Jaune. And we miss you too." She let go, put down a piece of paper and walked to the door. "We've been staying at that address for a while. We'll be leaving tomorrow at noon. If you change your mind, we'll be waiting." She opened the door, and turned to him, she had a slight smile on her face, "I hope you make the right choice. Not for me. Not for you. But for _your_ team." She then closed the door behind her.

* * *

It had been five minutes since Ruby left and Jaune, he was still standing there as if it happened a few seconds ago. The room was silent, at least until Jaune heard another familiar voice.

"You know... I remember a time when you would have jumped at the opportunity to be with the team again. Why did you never go then?"

Jaune looked to his left; there stood a woman with red hair and green eyes, wearing the same armor he always thought she looked beautiful in. He gave her a slight guilty look on his face, "I always thought that they would hate me for sending them to Ruby."

"And now you just learned that they want you back... What's stopping you this time?" She asked.

"Do I have to say it?" He answered with a question.

"Yes. It will help you."

"I'm afraid... that I'm going to get them killed by leading them." Jaune said after a deep breath.

She nodded her head in understanding his predicament. She walked towards him, resting her hand on his face, "Pushing them away isn't going to keep them safe either. They're going weather you lead them or not. At least if you do, you can give them a chance to succeed."

He sighed a little, lifted his head to her and looked her in the eye. "I never could say no to you, Pyrrha." She gave him a smile at that comment. "So... if I'm going to do this, we're going to need all our cards on the table to have a chance. All of them." Jaune said with a serious look on his face.

"I don't see why not." Pyrrha said with a confident look.

Right then, Jaune's scroll started ringing. "Hello?"

* * *

The next morning, the whole group was loading supplies into a large tank. It resembles a BTR-4 only it was more sleek and new. Its color scheme was light brown and black camouflage.

Nora was sitting on top of the tank, swinging her legs off the side like a little girl, while Ren, Fox, Velvet and Coco were loading the supplies. Weiss and Yatsuhashi were inside the tank, checking on all of its systems. Everyone else was bringing all the boxes out of the apartment to be put in the tank.

The whole team looked a lot more grown up, considering it's been a year and a half. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were all wearing similar outfits they wore when they were hunting for leads on the White Fang a few years ago, but now have armor in some places.

Ruby had armor around her forearms and shins, as well as a new bullet belt across her body; some of the bullets were colored. (Wink)

Weiss had armor around her legs and her chest. She wore a light blue jacket over her chest plate and kept her 'combat-skirt'.

Blake had an armor plate covering her chest and belly as well as armor shins and forearms. She had new magazine holders on her calves with colorful bullets.

Team CFVY were wearing outfits similar to what they wore back in school.

Coco still kept her hat and glasses. She tried to keep her original look and mix in a little more military style to it. She had armor around her left arm as a means to shield her when she uses her mini-gun.

Fox got a new jacket that had armor only on the forearm, right under his arm blades. And his legs had small armor plates around his shins.

Velvet's new had stronger armor plates in the same places as the old one, and her hollow-pack **(That's what I call her weapon.)** was smaller than before and was fitted on her belt behind her. Most likely she made a smaller and better one than her original. Her armored shoes now wrapped around her whole foot.

Yatsuhashi got a new set of armor around his left arm. His blade was still over his right shoulder.

Sun and Neptune changed their outfits as well.

Sun still wore shorts but he had a thin Kevlar vest underneath his open shirt, and steel towed sneakers.

Neptune had a red jacket with armor plates over his fore arms and chest. He also wore steel toed boots.

Ren had armor over his chest, forearms, shins and metal boots. His pistols could even be attached to his forearms to be like arm blades similar to Fox.

Nora had an armor plate over her chest and over her forearms and shins. She had a grenade belt on her back, which was attached to her weapon.

 **(Before you say that they are wearing armor too earlier in the story, please understand that they think they are going straight to Beacon and into combat right now. But they aren't.)**

"Ruby, I still think that this is a mistake." Weiss said.

"Be more specific, you say that about a lot of my decisions." Ruby said with a playful smile as she put down a box of supplies in front of Weiss.

"About asking Jaune to lead." Weiss said as she crossed her arms. Ruby's response to the complaint was her rolling her eyes. As did everyone else that heard her.

"Jaune is more than capable to lead this group." Coco said as she set a box in the tank.

"Are you kidding me? Jaune may have been able to lead a small group back to the tower, but that doesn't automatically qualify him to lead a group as big as us." Weiss said. "He's only going to lead us into trouble, or even get us all killed."

"No he's not." Nora said with a smile.

"Nora's right. Jaune's never steered us wrong before. He can lead us there." Ren said with a confident tone.

"He's not even supposed to be a huntsman!" Weiss almost shouted.

"Yet he is." Blake said.

Weiss could clearly see that she was alone in this argument, yet again.

"Let's not forget the fact that he saved your life… almost at the cost of his own." Coco said with serious look on her face.

Weiss would never forget what Jaune did for her, and that he almost died for it. But she still felt that he had no right to be there in the first place, all the same.

As everyone was continuing to load the tank, Nora looked out to see a motorcycle coming their way. It, along with its driver, had a familiar color scheme that she recognizes. "HE'S HERE!" Nora shouted as she stood up on top of the tank.

Everyone heard her and stopped what they were doing. They all gathered at the rear of the tank to greet their guest.

Jaune rode in on a combat Harley motorcycle. It was all white, green wheels and the "Arc" families crest on the side. Jaune was wearing armor that looked similar to his old one but had better protection. The armor was now around his arms and most of his torso. He had combat boots and armor plates over his shins. His sword was in its sheath/shield, which was still around his belt, along with his gun in its holster. The helmet he was wearing looked similar to a classic knight's helmet but didn't cover his mouth. The front was pointed down to his nose and stopped there; it was white and had green strips on the edges, and to top it off with an "Arc" symbol in front of head.

Jaune rode up and stopped his bike. He turned it off with a push of a button, pulled out the kickstand and pulled his helmet off. He placed the helmet on the handlebars and stood up, looking to the group that was gathered before him. Most of the group was there, the rest were still walking out to see him.

Ren and Nora were the first to step forward. Jaune looked to both of them expecting them to be angry with him for leaving him, but was caught off guard when Nora hugged him tight. "Welcome back." Nora said as she buried her face into his chest.

Jaune was hesitant, but he raised his arms and returned her hug. Ren walked up and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Glad you could make it, Jaune." Jaune started to smile a little when Ren spoke. For the first time in a while, Jaune felt a smile grow on his face.

After Nora let go, Jaune took a small breath, "I missed you guys."

"We missed you." Nora said while wiping some tears from her eyes.

Jaune looked to the rest of the group behind them, "Guys... Good to see you."

Everyone else smiled in response and then went back to what they were doing before. Nora tugged on Jaune towards the tank. "Come on, you got to see this!"

They walked up to the rear door to see the inside, from what Jaune could see there were two rows of five seats. He could see the two front seats in the front where Yatsuhashi was sitting in the driver seat. "AWESOME, RIGHT?!" Nora said as she was shaking with excitement.

"This is the 'Multi-Terrain Personal Transport' tank. I thought these were military only." Jaune said.

"They are, but there are benefits to having a rich family in the military. And a sister who doesn't mind sharing her toys." Weiss said as she walked up behind Jaune. She held her hand out to Jaune, "I never did properly thank you for saving me form he centipede."

Jaune took her hand and shook, "Glad to see your still a part of the team, I would have thought after Beacon your father would have called you home."

"He tried, but I stood up to him. Surprisingly as a result, he respects me more. He said it's because he respects my devotion to my team. Like a family." Weiss said.

"Don't suppose you have a proper name for this thing?" Jaune asked.

"Nora likes to call it the ' _Grizzly_ '." Ren said.

"Well, yeah, grizzly bears are big and strong, just like our tank here." Nora said as she jumped on top of it.

"I see you got yourself a special ride here." Sun said as he walked past them holding supplies.

Jaune looked to his bike, "Yeah. Good luck gift from my sister. Kind of a 'good luck' present."

"We all loaded up?" Jaune asked.

Ruby came out with a box in her hands, "Almost, we just need to fill extra fuel tanks before we head to Beacon, Captain." Ruby said as a little tease towards Jaune about being leader.

"Well, after we get the fuel we're not heading to Beacon, we're going to the Air Port." Jaune said as he put his duffle bag in the back of the truck.

"So where are we going?" Asked Blake.

"We're going to Patch." Jaune said as he looked to Ruby.

* * *

(The Spire/ Forever Fall, inside the Quarantine Zone.)

Cinder was looking out to the balcony from the very top floor of the Spire. She looked out to see her Grimm hoards moving off. They have been leaving Beacon ever since the Dragon left the CCT Tower. She looked somewhat disappointed at the sight, but that changed when Mercury showed up.

"Cinder... She's waking up." Mercury said with a devious smirk.

"Finally." She said as she walked to the elevator.

They went down twenty floors and down into the underground section of the Spire. There were three subfloors that were below ground level. She exited the elevator and walked through a hall way full of cages. Some had people in them others were empty. The people in the cages had bandanas on their shoulders that had symbols that belonged to Atlas. They were the scouts that never came back.

Cinder walked up to the very last one in the hall way. Emerald was there, along with Neo.

"Just in time." Emerald said.

The woman in the cage in front of them was slowly opening her eyes. Her hands were bound separately and extended outwards, her legs were braced to the chair she was sitting on. A metal bar was wrapped around her torso and the chair. On her head was a metal band that was glowing green. The woman was starting to raise her head and see who was outside her cage. They couldn't see her too well because of the darkness around her.

The cage door opened and Cinder walked in, "Well... look who's awake." She waked up to the woman and raised her hand up to the woman's chin. Cinder's hand was glowing; she moved it under the chin of the woman. When the glowing hand reached the woman's chin, the glow revealed that the woman was Pyrrha.

"I'm honestly surprised you woke up at all." Cinder said as she moved Pyrrha's head one way, then the other. "But then again, you are the Warrior Princess. But to be honest, I was hoping you would die anyway."

"Then why don't you just kill me know?" Pyrrha spat at her.

Cinder grabbed her throat, "Believe me, Princess. If it was up to me, you would have died at the tower." She let her go. "But, not so lucky for you, my master thinks you're more valuable to us alive than dead."

"Master? You're not in charge?" Pyrrha asked in complete shock.

Cinder looked at her with a very villainess smile, "My dear Nikos, you have no idea what is _really_ going on do you?"

Pyrrha had a clueless look on her face, Cinder then turned around, "No matter." She walked out of the cage as the door closed behind her, "You will find using your semblance impossible. That crown we made for you nullifies all forms of semblance. And don't try to take it off, because if you do without the key, it'll explode." Cinder said with a laugh.

"My friends will find me! I'll get out of here." Pyrrha shouted.

Cinder stopped in her tracks, and turned around, that smile was still on her face. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. The whole world, including your team, believes you died at the top of that tower. It's been almost two years since that day. No one is coming for you. And no one can, because no one knows this place exists."

Cinder then walked away leaving Pyrrha alone in the dark. Tears started to fall from her face, she realized just how she left everyone, especially Jaune. She kissed him and then died, she just left him like that, and she could only imagine the amount of pain he was in, "Jaune... I'm so sorry."

* * *

 **I hope you guys like it so far.**

 **Can't wait to write the next chapter for you all.**

 **R &R**


	4. Bounce Back with a Yang

**Bounce Back with a Yang**

* * *

 **AN: I am so happy to see so many people follow/favorite my story. Thank you all SO much!**

 **Again, forgive me if my writing isn't perfect.**

 **Anyway, time to make the group whole.**

 **Enjoy the story.**

* * *

(The Island of Patch)

Jaune was driving in parallel with the _Grizzly_ , mostly because he didn't know where exactly where he was going.

He never went to Patch before, there were times in his training he thought about coming to visit Yang. But then he would always convince himself that she needed to be alone, like him. Now, with a better mindset, he is now leading a team to go and make Team RWBY whole again.

As they reached their destination, Jaune could see a man with blonde hair at the front porch of a little house, in the middle of the forest. Jaune and the others drove up and parked. Jaune pulled off his helmet and looked to the _Grizzly_ to see his team come out. They weren't wearing their armor they wore yesterday, they were wearing more casual clothing, but with the same color schemes.

As the team was climbing out, the man from the house walked up to them. "Can I help you?"

Ruby was the last to climb out of the tank, "Hi, Dad." Just as she spoke, Zwei ran up to her and jumped on her.

The man smiled and walked over to her, gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. "My little rose is back!" He then looked to the group of hunters before him, "And she brought all her friends."

After Ruby's father put her down, Jaune walked over to him and held out his hand, "So you're the famous Taiyang Xiao Long?"

Taiyang looked to Jaune and smiled, they shook hands, "And you must be Jaune Arc. You look so much like your father."

Jaune was surprised that he knew his father too, "You knew him?"

Taiyang nodded his head, "Yup. Our teams were as close as yours and Ruby's are. Or, well, they used to be."

Jaune understood right away what he meant. Taiyang cleared his throat, "Is there anything I can do for you guys?"

"We could use a place to stay for the night; we're waiting for someone here." Jaune then looked behind him and then looked around, "Where's Yang?"

Taiyang pointed behind him, "She's out back, chopping wood."

Jaune started walking around the house leaving Ruby and the team with Taiyang.

Taiyang looked to Ruby, she spoke first, "He's doing better than I was expecting. Even though it was two years."

"He's still in pain, Ruby. He's just not showing it." He then looked to the team, "Come on inside, I was about to make some dinner."

"Can we have PANCAKES!?" Nora shouted.

"Nora! It's dinner, not breakfast." Weiss said.

* * *

Jaune walked around the house to find a woman with long blonde hair, holding a hatchet in her hand, chopping wood. She was wearing blue jeans and a brown tank top. She was chopping blocks of wood like they were paper, and using her left hand no less. Her back was to Jaune so she didn't know it was him who was coming.

"I'll be there in a minute, Dad. Just finishing these few blocks." Yang said.

"Mind if I take over? You look tired." Jaune said calmly.

Yang stopped completely as she was about to chop another block. She was stunned to hear a voice that she hadn't heard in so long. She slowly turned around to find her fellow blonde standing there. Right away she could tell that Jaune had changed in the time they were apart. He didn't look like the little 'hero wannabe' he once was. He looked more like a seasoned warrior. And she wouldn't be that far off.

"Jaune... It's good to see you." Yang started.

"Good to see you, too." He said. "How have you been?"

"Good. I've been good. Keeping the house together with, Dad. What brings you to Patch?" She asked as she went back to chopping wood.

"Don't suppose you've heard about what's been going on in Beacon?"

"My Dad keeps me informed." She said as she chopped a block.

"Well. Due to recent events, I, along with a few friends of ours, have decided to go to Beacon and take it back. I want you to come along."

This time when she chopped the wood, the cachet broke through the stone the she was chopping the wood on. "Not interested." She said as she was trying to pull the hatchet out of the stone. "I'm sure Ruby told you why I said 'no' to her."

"Actually I didn't even ask her. I knew that she couldn't get you to come anyway." Jaune said as he crossed his arms.

She finally pulled the hatchet out, "Really. Why is that?"

"Because I know you, Yang. That's why I'm asking."

"Well, I'll give you the same answer I gave her," she walked right up to his face, "No." She then walked away and went back to chopping wood.

"Why?" Jaune asked.

"Because I'm not I'm not a fighter anymore. I could get you all killed." She spat.

Jaune didn't look convinced. "Really. Let's do an assessment shall we? First, you have been staying here, home, with your father." He pointed to the house behind him. "One of the best brawlers to ever graduate Beacon Academy. Second, you have been eating right, staying active..." Pointing to the piles of logs she has cut. "...kept your left arm strong. And you were given one of the most advanced prosthetic limbs this side of the continent." He then pointed to the house again. "And you aren't even wearing it."

"Damn thing's too heavy." She spat.

"I'm not an idiot, Yang. They make those things to be the _exact same_ weight as the original. Or else there would be a lot less people, with all their limbs, walking around. And you still think you're not a fighter anymore?"

"Nope." She said with a careless face as she continued to chop.

Jaune quickly turned around and walked towards the house.

* * *

He walked in to find the whole group eating steak; Nora was eating eight of them and still asked for more. The rest of the team was clueless as to where Nora was putting it all.

Jaune walked up to Taiyang, "Where are her weapons?"

Taiyang knew exactly what Jaune was up to, and so he nodded his head. He led him to the garage and opened a dusty footlocker. They opened it and showed Yangs Ember Celica. Along with her yellow plated prosthetic right arm. Jaune lifted it up, he could see the Atlas logo on it, "Gift from Atlas. How did you get this anyway? I heard she got one, but not how."

"It was a gift from Weiss and Winter." Both men turned around to see Ruby at the door. "Weiss payed for the tech, Winter pulled the strings to get it here."

"It's the latest model. I know because I've seen ones like this before at the Vale Army base I was training at." Jaune said as he grabbed both Ember Celica and the arm.

Jaune held up the Ember Celica, "These still work?"

"Oh yeah. These were modeled after mine. They'll work. Had to make her a new one after she lost hers at Beacon. Now it works with the prosthetic." Taiyang said.

Jaune then stood up with the weapons in his hands and grabbed a few amo-belts on his way out of the door. Ruby put her hand on his right shoulder as he was walking past her, "What are you doing?"

"Doing what you did for me." He said with a serious face.

Jaune grabbed his sword form the motorcycle and then walked around the house. Once he could be seen holding the weapons from the windows in the back, everyone dropped the food they were eating and were gathering at the windows. "Hundred credits say the fight lasts two minutes." Said Sun as he set his scroll to 'stopwatch mode'. "Twice that for four minutes." Coco wagers. "I say six minutes, same amount as Coco." Ren says with a slight smirk.

* * *

Yang hears Jaune coming up behind her again. "Back already?" She then hears what sounds like metal hitting the ground behind her. She finds her weapons and arm and a few amo-belts on the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Like I said before, I know you, Yang. And I know just talking to you isn't going to make you do anything. The only thing that gets through to you is combat." Jaune said as he pulled his sword out of his sheath and threw the sheath away.

"What are you getting at?" Yang asked giving a non-trusting look towards Jaune.

"What I'm getting at is to see if your right. If you really aren't a fighter anymore." Jaune walks around with the sword in the ground and carves a large circle around them. Making a make-shift arena. "If I win, you can stay here, and spend the rest of your life doing ignoring what once made you a thrill-seaker. If you win, you come with us to retake Beacon."

"What makes you think I'll win?" Yan asked with a negative look on her face.

"Because you would _never_ throw a fight. It's not in your nature. You'll give it your all. And that's what I want to see." Jaune said after finishing the circle.

Yang gave off a face that normally meant, 'I hate it when your right.' She grabbed her prosthetic arm and connected it to the conation port in her right arm. After a few sparks fly from the arm, she opens and closes it a few times. She then grabs her gauntlets and loads them.

She noticed that he wasn't using holding his shield, "What? You're not going to use your shield against me?"

"You said you aren't a fighter anymore, if that is true, then that means there's no reason to go overboard." Jaune said as an attempt to taunt her. And it worked.

Yang charged forward with a few quick jabs, which Jaune blocked with his blade. Every time she threw a punch at his chest he blocked it with ease. It was after thirty seconds of this and he started going on the offensive. First he grabbed Crocea Mors with both hands and swung left diagonally.

Yang barely had time to move before the blade came close to her chest. She used the recoil from her gauntlets to push her back a few feet. She then charged at him trying to be back on the offensive but to no avail, Jaune would block her attack then swing for an attack. This went back and forth for about forty seconds before Jaune kicked Yang back a few feet and pointed his sword down.

"Your speed is good. You can match mine almost perfectly. Now let's see if your just as strong." Jaune said as he then charged and swung hard at her. Yang only had enough time to block with wrist of her gauntlets and hold Jaune in place. Jaune pushed hard against her, causing her to go down on one knee, she removed her left hand from the blade lock and jabbed him in the chest. And she hit him hard enough to make him step back a few steps.

She then swings at his face twice; he moves his head left and right to dodge both. He swings his sword horizontally just as she jumps up while using her recoil to get a boost. He sees her go right over him and turns quick. Just as she lands he kicks her right in the chest and right into a tree, breaking it in half.

She falls to the ground, tries to put her hands underneath her but then falls limp. Jaune slowly walked up to her, sword over his shoulder, "How did I beat you?"

She lifts her head and rolls her eyes, "You clearly got a lot stronger over the years. And your faster." She lowered her head back down.

Jaune shakes his head, "No... I beat you because you aren't getting back up."

She raised her head up fast when she heard that. "Yang, the best thing - the most special thing - about you was that no matter how hard you got hit... you always stood back up, ready to go again." Jaune then lowered his sword and held it with both hands. "Get up."

Yang slowly, but surely, got back up. She cocked her head left and right to crack her neck. Jaune held his sword out forward, ready to take her on again. Her hair blazed like fire as she activated her semblance. Jaune activated his to not only show her his new powers, but to show that he isn't holding back.

* * *

Back in the house, everyone was watching. Qrow walked in through the front door and walked to the back of the house to find everyone looking out the window. He walked up to Taiyang and Ruby, "Did I miss the show?"

"Uncle Qrow! What are you doing here?" Ruby said as she hugged Qrow.

"Came to meet up with you guys. I called Jaune the other day and he said we should meet up here." Qrow answered as he petted Ruby's head. He looked to see Jaune fighting Yang outside. From the looks of things, the battle started to get intense. "How is she doing?"

"She's been holding her own. But I think she isn't as fast as him." Taiyang answered.

"Oh, she is, but he's not fighting her to win." Qrow said as he drank from his flask.

"How do you know?" Blake asked.

"Because he told me he wasn't. He's trying to help her get her confidence back. And knowing Yang, that means they'll have to fight till either one of them drop." He took another sip.

Blake had a nervous look on her face for the sake of her partner. "Why is he doing this?"

"Because the only way we'll to have a chance of succeeding, is if Team RWBY is at full strength." Qrow said as he looked out to the duel outside.

* * *

The battle between them started to get rougher. The moment Yang's semblance started to activate, Jaune has been trying harder not to get hit in the face. Even though he had his personal barriers up, he could still feel her punches. And yet, Jaune knew that she had a lot more saved up that she wasn't using against him in this fight. This provided Jaune with chances to not only block her easily, but for him to have openings to strike her.

He got her into another arm lock, "Come on! Stop _TRYING_ to hit me and hit me already!"

She started to get agitated, she pushed him off him this time, reloaded her gauntlets and then charged with full speed. She then started throwing fast punches like it was like she had twenty arms swinging at him at once. After a few more seconds of blocking her attacks, Jaune kicks Yang back hard again, but this time farther. Yang then blasts forward towards him with all her force.

Jaune readies his blade for her when she gets close enough. He held his sword up to the right, ready for a diagonal cut.

In what looked like slow motion, Yang had a glowing right hand coming right at his face. Jaune's sword was coming down and looked as though it was going to cut her right arm off. But at just as the blade was about to make contact with her arm, he curved the blade so that it would just barely miss. He closed his eyes for what came next. _"Incoming."_

He formed a light barrier around his face, only for it to shatter the moment it made contact with her power punch. Jaune was sent flying through three trees before he made a human shaped hole in a large bolder.

Yang had just realized what she had done and started to run towards him, "JAUNE!"

* * *

Sun stopped his stopwatch to see the timer at just past six minutes. "Ren you won." Sun said with a sad look on his face.

Ren smiled and looked to Nora, "Looks like I'm buying dinner this week."

"Is Jaune ok?" Blake asked with slight fear in her voice.

"He'll be fine. Although, he may be sore for a while." Qrow said as he scratched his head and smiled at the last one.

* * *

Yang reached the hole in the bolder and pulled Jaune out. Once he was out, he tried to stand, once he did he tried to walk but failed. Yang helped him lean up against the rock as he stood. Then punched him in the shoulder with her metal hand.

"OW!" Jaune shouted.

"I saw what you did! Why did you do that?!" Yang asked with slight anger and innocence in her voice. "Why did you let me win?!"

Jaune was hopping she would catch that. Not only did she get faster, but she has been able to see things just as fast as he can. "Because I wanted to show you that you still can."

She was caught off guard by that answer. She took a few steps back.

Jaune pushed himself off the rock and tried to stand up straight, "Adam Taurus took your arm, that day. And that's his fault." He then pointed to her chest, "But _you_ are the one who let him take your spirit, afterwards."

Yang started to lower her head in guilt. "Jaune, I..."

"Look... I get it. That was the first fight you lost in who knows how long. And you lost a limb in the process." He then grabbed her shoulders, "But guess what?... You're still here! You were knocked down, and now it's time for you to get back up. Your team needs you, your _partner_ needs you." He took a deep breath, "And it's not every day you get to be with the people you care about, after so long." He then let's go of her.

Tears started to well up on Yang's face, she uses her left hand to wipe them off, "You sure came a long way, Vomit-boy."

A small smile came up on Jaune's face. "Almost as far as you came, Gauntlet-girl."

"Come on, let's get back to the others." Yang said as she was starting to walk towards the house.

"I'll be with you in a minute; I need to find my sword." Jaune said as he started to search through the bushes.

* * *

After a few seconds of searching he found the sword, and a familiar face standing next to it.

"Good speech." Pyrrha said with a smile. "How much of that was about you?"

"Enough for her to get the point." Jaune said as he picked up his sword.

"You think you convinced her?" Pyrrha asked.

"I hope so. I'd rather not get my ass kicked again on purpose." Jaune said as he rubbed the bruise on his face from Yang's power punch.

Pyrrha laughed, "I hope so, too."

* * *

Jaune walked into the house to find everyone finished eating. They left him and Yang a plate at the table. Just as Jaune sat down to eat, he saw that Qrow was there. "Qrow… Glad to see you made it. You enjoy the show?"

"I only got to see the end of it. But I must say, Jaune, you've gotten a lot more skilled with that sword. You're almost as fast as your dad with that sword." Qrow said as he pointed to his sword.

Jaune could only nod because he never saw his father in combat to agree. "Qrow, I've been meaning to ask. Have you heard anything more from Glynda? You said you found her a while back, when we spoke on the phone."

"Yup. In fact, she sent me these." Qrow pulled out a rolled up paper and a silver key and placed both on the ground.

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

"That is an ancient map to Beacon, it will lead us to a hidden door on the cliffside of Beacon. The key will open the door." Qrow answered.

"Where did she get these?" Taiyang asked.

"She said she pulled it out of one the old vaults at Beacon and that it came with a letter for me." Qrow said as he opened the letter and read out loud.

* * *

 _(The letter goes as follows.)_

Qrow,

If you are reading this letter then it means Beacon has fallen and I am either dead or missing. This letter will contain a map that will lead you to the underground crystal caverns beneath Beacon, should the Grimm have the school. If I am dead, I am trusting you to pick up from where I left off. If I'm alive, please find me as soon as possible.

Good Luck, my friend.

-Ozpin.

* * *

"And you two waited till now to show us this?" Weiss asks.

"Well, I wanted to be sure that everybody was onboard and ready. And now that we are," Qrow gestures to the whole group, "and we have out leader," he then gestures to Jaune, "we can."

"So, what's next for us?" Velvet asks.

"We use the map to get the secret door, use the key to get inside, kill the dragon and we get Beacon back!" Nora said with cheer in her voice.

"Why do we need the key for. Can't we just go over the walls and head in there?" Fox asked.

"Not a good idea." Blake said. "Last time I scouted there I got close to the wall... I heard a lot of Grimm activity on the other side. There's a whole army inside just waiting for us to try."

"No doubt that's Smaug's doing." Yatsuhashi said. "Using its kind as a living shield."

"Agreed. The only way to go into Beacon is to go under it. Once we kill Smaug, I'm sure the Grimm will just wander off like all the others did outside the walls." Qrow said.

"Something tells me this door will be hard to find without the map." Ren said.

"And you would be right. A door like this is invisible when it's closed. There is a way to properly find it on this map, problem is, neither me nor Glynda can find it." Qrow said.

"Why?" Coco asked.

"Only Headmasters of Academies can read whatever message is on this map." Qrow said.

"So we're going to Mistral? The Headmaster at Haven Academy might even give us help." Sun said.

"I think Mistral is out of the question." Velvet said.

"Why do you say that?" Neptune asked sounding bummed.

"After the Smaug went underground, Ironwood turned all of the country of Vale into a 'no-fly-zone' for anyone. We were lucky Patch wasn't a part of that. My guess is he wants to be ready if the dragon decides to fly again, now that it's free." Velvet stated.

"The recent bombings form the White Fang are a cause as well."

"That just leaves us with Vacuo." Yang said as she entered the room.

Jaune looked up at her and gave her a half smile, "Us?"

"Yeah... I'm not going to miss the biggest party of the year." Yang said with a confident smile, something that no one in that house had seen in a long time.

Qrow smiled and thought, _"Only_ Yang _would consider taking Beacon from a dragon a 'party'."_ "Your right. Vacuo is our best option. We can fly form Patch to one of the coastal cities and drive from there. Unfortunately, Shade Academy is a long way away, even by car. But I think we can manage." Qrow said.

Jaune stood up, pushed in his chair and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess that settles it. We're going to Vacuo in the morning. Everyone, get some sleep, we'll leave at first light."

"I'll set out some blankets." Taiyang said.

* * *

(The Spire Fortress)

Meanwhile, Cinder was sitting on her 'throne' at the top of the tower, looking over the sight of hundreds of Grimm leaving the outskirts of the City of Vale and Beacon. She could also see that there was still a lot of Grimm that remained inside the walls of Beacon. She knew full well that they were a sort of guard for Smaug, as he slept.

"It's a pity; I was hoping Smaug would join us." Cinder said with a sigh.

Mercury walked up next to her, "Can't you just make him obey like the rest?"

"Aah, let him keep his crystal caves. So long as he's here, we have the region to ourselves." Cinder looked to him, "What do our scouts report?"

"At the moment, Atlas is continuing its 'no-fly-zone' over all of Vale. No way we can send our troops anywhere by air without them knowing." He then switched to a new screen, "Latest sightings of Ruby Rose show that she's in Patch."

"Patch... Do we have any of our people there?" Cinder asked.

"A few small groups, but not enough to take her on." Mercury said.

"I guess we'll have to wait till she gets back to the mainland. Tell Neo to be ready for her when she does." Cinder says as she stands up out of the throne.

Cinder notices Emerald walking in, "What news do we have on our guest. Have you found out how she survived?"

"From what our 'lab rats' could find out, there was a powerful, yet small, aura reserve that saved her form your arrow." Emerald said as she read the data pad.

"I thought her aura reserves were depleted by then?" Cinder asked.

"That's what's strange... the aura that saved her wasn't her own." Emerald said.

"From where then?" Mercury asked.

"We don't know yet. We are still looking into it." Emerald said.

"See that you do. Leave me, I would like to be alone." Cinder said as she waved them off.

* * *

(Basement prison)

Pyrrha was no longer in the position she was in when she woke up. She had a small bed, toilet, and a sink. The bed had a blanket, curtesy from the guards. They told her that it wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts, if they had any, they were ordered to keep her alive and healthy for Cinder's purposes.

At the end of the chamber, Emerald walked in. She walked all the way to Pyrrha's cage and stroked the bars as she walked back and forth. "I'm curious. When you decide to take on Cinder by yourself, were you trying die an honorable death to save the city? Or did you actually think you could win?"

Pyrrha was in the back right corner, behind the bed. Her head was on her knees and her arms were wrapping her legs. Emerald knew she was awake, because she could see Pyrrha's hands clench when she asked both questions. "Doesn't matter really. You didn't succeed on either one."

Pyrrha slowly raised her head, "What do you mean?"

"The City of Vale has been abandon for nearly two years. Beacon is Smaug's home now." Emerald said.

"'Smaug'?" Pyrrha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's what everyone calls it now. And I have to admit, it's pretty cool." Emerald said. "You know, when the Rose girl saw you 'die', she freaked out. Cinder was even surprised by her power."

"What power?" Pyrrha asked.

"I don't even know. But whatever it did, it 'froze' Smaug for nearly two years, he only woke up a month ago and turned Beacon into his playground." Emerald said.

"You know I heard a rumor that a small group of hunters charged off on their own and slashed their way to the Tower you were at. They were led by a knight you may know." Emerald said, as if she was looking for a response.

Pyrrha's eyes widened when she heard this, _"He went back for me..."_ Some happiness started to grow in her chest, but at the same time, so did some bitterness at the through of how she left him.

"Practically 'tore through the army of Grimm single handedly'. At least that's what the White Fang that saw him say." Emerald said. "Not to mention the fact that he took on a Ground Dweller."

"Where is he?" Pyrrha couldn't contain herself; she grabbed the bars and held her head against them.

She practically scared Emerald. She wasn't prepared for a response like that, and then she started to smile. "Get some rest, Nikos. Tomorrow I'm ordered to help you on your way to become a part of our team." Emerald said with a devious smile.

Pyrrha backed away from the bars and sat down behind the bed like before. _"I'll find you Jaune... I promise."_

* * *

(Island of Patch)

Morning came and the whole group was waking up. After eating a large portion of pancakes, Nora practically begged them to make them, they started loading all of Yang's gear into the _Grizzly_. Cloths, ammo-belts, armor, tools in case her arms needs repairs. Ruby was having a hard time telling Zwei that they couldn't take him with her for his and Blake's safety.

Yang was in her room packing her backpack full of her essentials. Taiyang walked in, "I'm glad you're going with them."

"Me too." Yang looked out the window and saw a raven on the tree outside. Yang took a deep breath, "Dad... I need to tell you something. It happened a few years ago, and I didn't know how to tell you, so I'll just say it." She turned around and looked her father in the eye, "I found mom."

He didn't look surprised; he looked like he expected her to say that. "I know. Qrow told me."

"She saved me. I was almost about to die and she saved me." Yang said.

Taiyang smiled a little bit, "She always did have a habit of coming in at the last second to save the heroes. I'm just surprised it took her this long to find you."

Yang still looked a little sad that she didn't get to speak with her for long, and then Taiyang spoke again. "Listen. She has some kind of plan for this world. I still don't know what it is. The fact that she saved you means that she has a plan for you, too." He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "So don't be too surprised if you bump into her at some point in your journey."

They hugged tight, Yang spoke first, "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too." They let go and he gave her a proud smile, "Now go, I'm sure your friends have been waiting long enough."

She nodded her head in agreement, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, she stopped when she heard her name get called out.

"Yang."

She turned around to find a pair of keys flying at her face; she catches it perfectly with her robot hand. She looked to find that they were her old keys.

"I finished fixing it a few months ago. It's under the black tarp." She looked to the keys and back to him. "We both know you can't go anywhere without your _Bumblebee_ ," Taiyang said with a smile.

She smiled back while running up to him and hugged again. She then ran to the garage and walked up to something that was covered in a black tarp and had her symbol in yellow on top.

* * *

Outside the house, everyone saw the garage door open and saw Yang riding out of it with her yellow motorcycle, _Bumblebee_.

Yang pulled up to Jaune, who was sitting on his bike next to Qrow on his.

"Well, looks like this group is all accounted for." Jaune said.

"You know, in the old days, people didn't call this a group, they called it a 'Company'." Taiyang said as he walked up to them.

"Yup... A Company of 13 hunters and their Acting-Headmaster." Qrow said as he put his helmet on. The bike Qrow was riding was a little like Jaune's but the seat was lower to the ground. The colors were grey and black. "Let's get going."

Qrow was the first to leave, followed by the _Grizzly_. Yang took one more look at her house, her father, and Zwei and had somewhat of a sad look on her face. "Weird. A few days ago I never would have believed that I would join in on a mission to take back Beacon. And now, here we are."

"Yeah... Quite an _unexpected journey_ , wouldn't you say?" Jaune asked.

Yang smiled and nodded her head. She put her helmet on, and then punched Jaune's left shoulder, "Come on." Yang revved up her engine and blasted away, while popping a wheelie, "WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!"

Jaune smiled and hit the throttle and tried his best to keep up with the thrill-seeker.

* * *

 **AN: Now the Hobbit story begins.**

 **Yes there will be chapters will be future chapters where we see Pyrrha at the Spire, but I won't do it for every chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys like what I've done so far.**

 **Also, looking at the fact that everyones vehicles has a special name, except Qrow's because I just made it up, but I am thinking of naming Jaune's bike after a horse from Tolken's novels. At the moment I'm still deciding. Give me some feedback if you think that fits.**

 **R &R**

 **And of course, ARKOS Forever!**


	5. Road to Vacuo Part 1: Stories and Trolls

**The Road to Vacuo Part 1: Stories and Trolls**

* * *

 **AN: Now that the crew's all together, time to start the journey.**

 **There will also be more details on Star Knights that I didn't put in the previous chapters. More about where they stand in the military and in politics, kind of. You'll understand when you read it.**

 **This chapter will be bigger than most, mostly because I didn't want to want to write separate chapters, and I felt that this part of the story should be in only one chapter.**

 **On to the story!**

* * *

The company arrived to the mainland of Vale. They traveled on one of the main trails that was on the main maps. Qrow and Jaune were riding side by side, Yang behind them, and the rest of the group in the _Grizzly_ behind her.

Inside the _Grizzly_ , Yatsuhashi was driving and Velvet was in the passenger seat, reading a book to Yatsuhashi. The rest of the group were in the back playing small card games, Weiss and Ren were playing Chess.

They continued to drive for about twelve hours before the sun fell. As it fell, Qrow could see that even Jaune was getting sleepy for riding for so long. They parked near a small abandon camp ground.

"Set up some tents. We'll rest here for the night." Qrow said as he took his helmet off and walked to the back of the _Grizzly_ to grab some of the supply boxes.

It didn't take long for the group to set up camp, half were already asleep. Jaune, Qrow, Yang, Ruby and Coco were the only ones awake. Yang was keeping the fire alive, Coco was cleaning her mini-gun, Ruby was sharpening her blade with a wet rock, while both Jaune and Qrow were working on their bikes.

The rest of the crew were asleep in their tents, or in the _Grizzly_. Yatsuhashi was asleep in the tank with Fox and Neptune. Ren and Nora were asleep, holding each other, under the stars. Weiss was in a small white tent. Sun and Blake were asleep in a tree, each on different branches. Velvet was asleep in a separate tent next to the _Grizzly_.

As the night grew darker, with the campfire and moon light being the only sources of light, they could hear something in the wind. It sounded like howls.

Ruby stopped sharpening and looked to the others, "You hear that?"

"Beowulves." Jaune said as he put his tools into his toolbox.

"Sounds like a whole pack. Twenty, maybe twenty five." Coco said as she was listening too.

"Doesn't surprise me that they're here, we are in the outlands after all." Qrow said as he was working on his bike.

"They sound close." Ruby said as she picked up her weapon.

Jaune grabbed his sword and shield, but he left his pistol on the bike, "I'll take care of it."

"Wait up. I'll go with you. I want to see if these sharpening stones do work." Ruby said as she put her scythe over her shoulder.

"There could be other things out there. I'll come too." Qrow said as he grabbed his weapon from his bike.

"You too watch the camp. We'll be back soon." Jaune said to Yang and Coco.

They gave them thumbs up as they left.

* * *

As they walked towards the howls, Jaune walked next to Ruby, while Qrow was a few steps ahead of them.

"I saw Nora cuddling to Ren." Jaune said to Ruby. The way he said it almost sounded like he was asking a question.

She simply nodded her head as an answer.

"How long has that been going on?" Jaune asked.

"A few months after you left. Nora was the first to say her feelings. Ren told his right after." Ruby said.

"Is it serious?" Jaune asked.

"Not too serious. It may have been a few years, but they're still new to it." Ruby said.

They both stopped when Qrow put his hand up making a 'stop' signal. Their prey was in sight; around twenty Beowulves and two Ursa. Qrow backed up to them and looked to Jaune for the plan.

"No shooting. Let the others get some sleep. Blades only." Jaune said as he opened his shield and readied his sword.

"Wouldn't want to make this too easy, now would we?" Qrow said with a smile.

All three charged fast, not giving the Grimm a chance to react to them.

* * *

Back at the camp, Yang dropped another pile of wood next to the fire. She put a few pieces into the fire to keep it alive. Coco was on the other side of the fire pit, she just finished cleaning the gun.

"So... Coco. I've been meaning to ask." Yang said.

This got Coco's attention so she sat up to listen.

"I can understand why Ruby would want Jaune to be the leader to this group. Not that he isn't a good leader, but why did you agree? You're a leader too." Yang asked.

"Well. It was back during the Fall of Beacon." She said as she changed her mini-gun back into a purse. "You were unconscious at the time. The Evacuation Zone was being attacked by Grimm on all sides."

Listening to Coco's stories reminds Yang of what her father and Qrow told use to her and Ruby when they were a little as bed-time stories. And now to hear it happen to a friend was almost intense.

"We were holding our own for a while. It almost seemed like we were going to get out of there." Coco started to smile, then the smile went away. "That's when the Goliath showed up."

"A Goliath?" Yang almost shouted before she caught herself.

Coco nodded, "Yup. And when we saw it, we threw everything we had at it. That didn't even slow it down. That was when _he_ showed up." Coco then pointed in the direction Jaune went when they left the camp. "Jaune came at the beast form our left side, he charged at it, glowing like a star in the darkness of the night. And with one swing of his glowing sword, he decapitated the Goliath with one stroke."

Yang heard that Jaune got his semblance in the battle, but she didn't know what he can do with it. She would have expected hearing her uncle or Glinda killing the Goliath, but to hear that Jaune killed it, with one swing and with his semblance, blew her mind. "With one swing?"

Coco nodded, "After that, he saw that you and Blake were hurt. He asked for the rest of your teams and we told them that they were all still at the CCT Tower. Ren and Nora wanted to go along with him, but they barely had the strength to stand." Coco pulled out her canteen and drank out of it. "It was in that moment I saw it."

"Saw what?" Yang asked, almost sounding like a little girl again.

"The true leader within him. The fact that he knew he wasn't the most skilled, strongest, or even the most powerful huntsman, he still wanted to fight his way through hell to save his friends, even at the cost of his own life. And I thought to myself then, 'That is someone I could follow. That is someone that I would call my leader'. That's when I volunteered to go with him." Coco said with a confident look on her face.

"What happened next?" Yang asked.

Coco continued to tell the rest of the story.

* * *

After the trio killed four Beowulves and two big Ursa, Jaune walked up to Qrow as they were still fighting off the rest of the pack, "Ruby mentioned the Star Knights a while ago... Did you tell her everything?" Jaune didn't sound angry, he was simply curious.

"I didn't see any reason not to. Is that a problem?" Qrow asked as he slashed a Beowulf in two.

"No. I wanted to tell her anyway." Jaune swung his sword and decapitated a Beowulf with one swing. "How much does she know?"

"I told her the same thing I told you. I wouldn't be surprised if she looked up the legends along with her own." Qrow said.

"She has legends too?" Jaune asked.

"Turns out you're not the only one with a big family legend." Ruby said as she walked through a pile of dead Grimm. "People with silver eyes, like mine, are destined to live a warrior's life. The power behind them also made Smaug 'freeze'."

"I was wondering about that..." Jaune said, he then looked to Qrow. "Qrow, look... I know you were only trying to help me, and I pushed you away-"

"You don't have to apologize, kid. I know, you were grieving, hard." Qrow said as he swung his scythe around his back and cut another Beowulf diagonally.

Looking around, Jaune noticed that all the Grimm in the area were dead, he put his sword and shield away. "I looked up the legends about Star Knights, but there was something that I was surprised to find... Star Knights have a high military power, which still exists to this day."

"Really?" Ruby asked as she put away _Crescent Rose_.

"Yup. The 'Sky Knights'. They are the army of the Star Knights." Qrow said as he put is weapon away. "The elite of the elite of their own kingdom."

"Yeah. Nobody volunteers to be a Sky Knight, people get asked to join." Jaune said.

"One of your sisters is one, right? Carol? By the way, how's she doing?" Qrow asked.

"Aah, the usual; kicking all the other knights asses in the sparing rings." Jaune turned to Ruby, "In fact, she's as powerful as Yang."

"Really? Wow! That's cool!" Ruby shouted. "I want to meet Carol already!"

Both Qrow and Jaune waved their hands to her trying to tell her to keep her voice down.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Come on, let's head back." Qrow said.

"So if there's this army for every Star Knight... Why didn't you ask them to come with you when you were leaving?" Ruby asked as she was walking next to Jaune.

"I tried. But Carol said that they couldn't come as long as Smaug was there. If it were to leave or we kill it, then they would be allowed to help take back the school." Jaune said. "And they don't want to risk any of the other major cities to suffer the same fate as Vale."

"So if we succeed, will they come?" Ruby asked.

"I hope so." Jaune said.

They continued up the hill until they reached the camp.

* * *

Only a few miles away, a little uphill, there stood two White Fang agents. One with fox-like ears, the other with wolf ears. The one with the wolf ears turned to the other, "Contact Neo. Tell her that we found the Rose girl."

* * *

The next morning started with a small breakfast, made by Ren and Blake. Ren caught a few rabbits while Blake got a deer. Everyone was surprised that Blake knew how to cook so well, she told them that fighting wasn't the only thing she learned from living in the out-lands of the kingdoms. Velvet took a picture of the group all eating together for her collection.

After they were done eating, they packed up and continued down the trail to Vacuo. Their trail lead them in and out of small tree patches and grasslands.

As a means to keep everyone in contact with each other, Jaune and Qrow had placed two-way radios in their helmets and Yang's, that also link up to the _Grizzly_. That way if someone spots something on the road, they could alert the others faster.

As they were driving, Jaune decided to break radio silence by talking to Qrow on the open radio.

"Hey, Qrow. Is it true that Ozpin was my father's partner when they were in school together?" Jaune asked.

"Yup." Qrow said without sounding too surprised that Jaune knew. "Where did you hear that?"

"My sister." Jaune said.

"Wait, _your_ father was Ozpin's partner?" Weiss asked as she grabbed the radio's microphone in the _Grizzly_. "I thought Glynda was his partner."

"We'll, Glynda was on the same team, but Jonah was his partner. They use to call them the 'White Knight/Grey Wizard' duo." Qrow said.

"Wizard?" Yang asked.

"Well, the way his weapon worked makes it look like magic. But in reality it's just a special Dust crystal he has." Qrow said as he pointed to Ozpin's cane on the bike.

"What kind of Dust crystal?" Weiss asked.

"I think he called it a 'Diamond Shard'." Qrow said.

Weiss fell back into her seat in shock, dropping the microphone. Everyone in the tank didn't understand why she looked so shocked. "What's wrong?" Neptune asked.

"Diamond Shards are so rare they're almost non-existent. The power they generate is almost unmatched by any other Dust crystal." Weiss said with a look of shock still on her face.

"Yeah, only five people in the world have ever found those shards." Qrow said.

"You mean there are others like Ozpin?" Ruby asked.

"Yup, there are the 'Blue Twins'. For the life of me I can't remember their names. There's Saruman the White. He and Ozpin were equals." Qrow said.

"Saruman? That's the headmaster of Haven Academy." Sun said.

"And the fifth?" Jaune asked.

"That would be Radagast the Brown Wizard." Qrow said.

"Is he a strong one like Ozpin, or not so strong?" Velvet asked.

"I think he's strong, in his own way." Qrow said. "He's a good man, but he prefers the company of animals to people. He lives in the Greenwood forest, right between the borders of Vale and Vacuo."

"I heard that the Greenwood has a lot of Grimm there. Because of Smaug, the Grimm activity there has been spiking for weeks, people are starting to call it Mircwood." Blake said.

They continued for over five hours until the sun was starting to set. The sun was shining bright on them, making it hot for not only the bikers but for those in the tank. Even with the AC on full, it was still hot in the tank.

As they were driving along the trail, they came up to an abandon house. It was torn to shreds, it looked almost recent. Qrow stopped at the house, followed by everyone else. Qrow dismounted and scouted the house. He gave thumbs up to let them know that it was clear.

Jaune dismounted too and pulled his helmet off. He looked around and saw that it was a good place to stay for the night. "Alright. We camp here for the night. Neptune, refuel the Grizzly. Yang, get a fire going. Blake, see if you can find anything we can eat nearby."

All three nodded their heads in agreement and went to do their jobs.

"Why does Blake need to get food? We already have good supplies." Weiss asked.

"Those are field rations. And they're for emergencies only." Jaune said as he walked over to the supplies to show her. "Trust me; you don't want to eat these unless your life depended on it."

"How do you know so much about that?" Coco asked.

"My sister is a soldier in the Sky Knight army. She had a few missions that where field rations were her only source of food." Jaune said as started walking towards Qrow. Ruby could see a horse stable not too fat from the house, it looked like it was ransacked, by something big.

Qrow was looking at the house; he had a sad look on his face. Jaune and Ruby walked up to him, "What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"A farmer and his family used to live here. I think we should keep going." Qrow said as he turned to them. "We could reach Shade by sunrise tomorrow."

"Yatsu is the only one who can drive the _Grizzly_ , I don't know about you or Yang, but I'm tired of driving all day." Jaune said as he wiped the sweat off his face. "Besides, the others are exhausted from the heat."

"If we start up again early tomorrow we'll be there by sunset." Ruby said as she pulled up the map on her Scroll.

Qrow sighed and then pulled out his flask; he drank a few sips then put it away. "I'll look on ahead; see if the way is clear. I'll be back soon." Qrow walked over to his bike and drove off.

"Where's he going?" Ren asked.

"He wants to look ahead. Clearly he doesn't care about sleep." Jaune said as he sat down on his bike.

Ruby decided to help the others unload the tank with the rest of their sleeping gear and cooking supplies.

* * *

Nightfall came quick. Blake came back with two deer. Ren worked his cooking magic on them and made a great dinner for the company. Ruby was starting to get worried about Qrow.

"It's been too long. You think he's ok?" Ruby asked Yang.

"He's fine. He always is." Yang said as she was working on her bike.

"Hey, Ruby." Ruby looked to see Blake holding two bowls of soup she made out of the deer meat and tomatoes they had in their supplies. Ruby walked over and took both, "Can you take these to Sun and Neptune."

"Sure." She took both and walked back to the tank.

Sun and Neptune were both sitting on top of the tank and were looking in the opposite direction of the group. Ruby walked up to the tank, and placed both bowls on the tank. "Dinner's ready. What's wrong?"

"Look over there." Sun pointed in the direction he and Neptune were facing. "You see that?"

Ruby looked to see nothing but trees and bushes from the light of the moon, "I don't see anything."

Neptune and Sun both jumped down and walked to where they were pointing. "Come on." Neptune said as they lead Ruby.

They walked all the way to a fallen tree. Its roots were pulled out of the ground. Sun walked to the roots and pulled some of the soil off it, he smashed it in his hand and found it to be somewhat wet and fresh, "This happened recently."

"What do you think could have done this? Ursa?" Ruby asked.

"Not Ursa." Neptune said as he pointed to the ground.

Sun and Ruby walked over to Neptune and found that he was pointing to a large foot print. It didn't look like any Ursa foot print, or any other Grimm they've seen in the past. "It's bigger, and it almost looks like a human foot." Neptune said with worry in his voice.

Sun put his foot in the center and found that the print was four times the size of his foot. "Except it's huge."

"Should we tell Jaune and the others?" Ruby asked.

"Let's not worry him. I mean, whatever did this is probably long gone." Neptune said with a voice of relief, it was obvious that he was a little frightened at the thought of something that was bigger than an Ursa out there.

"I see a light." Sun said as he pointed towards a small light in the distance. The light was in the opposite direction of the camp, so they know that it isn't from the others.

* * *

Jaune walked towards the Grizzly to let Sun and Neptune know they could sleep next. Instead of finding them, he found their bowls on top of the tank, untouched and still warm. He looked at the ground to find foot prints, most belonging to both the Mistral boys and some that belonged to Ruby.

Jaune followed the prints and found the uprooted tree. Then he found the massive footprint, and saw that it lead to a light in the distance. He saw Ruby's footprints leading that way as well, his eyes grew wide, and he then ran back to the camp.

* * *

Sun and Ruby start walking towards the light they saw, Neptune shrugged his shoulders and followed. They reached what looked like a small camp, there were three big creatures surrounding a fire. One was staring a large pot full of liquid, one was holding a big blade and sharpening it with a rock, and the third was sneezing up a storm. The creatures had armor plates that resembled Grimm armor; however, their skins between the plates were gray instead of black.

Ruby, Sun, and Neptune were far enough away for them not to be spotted by the creatures. "What are those things?" Ruby asked.

"I think I know what they are." Sun whispered. "I remember reading old stories about there being other creatures out there besides Grimm that fought int he 'Great War'. These guys looked like one of them. I think they're called 'Mountain-Trolls'."

"Mountain-Trolls? If 'mountain' is in their name than that means there are different kinds." Ruby said.

"Yeah, there were a few, like different breeds of dogs. I thought they were extinct." Sun said.

"Well these ones aren't." Neptune said as he pulled out his rifle and turned on his scope.

Ruby could see horses in a small pen behind one of the trolls, "Look, they have the horses. They're going to eat them. We need to get them out of there."

"You're right. You'll do it." Sun said as he pointed at Ruby.

"Me?" Ruby asked with confusion on her face.

"Yeah, these trolls are slow and stupid. You're small and fast. Fastest of all of us." Sun said.

"Shouldn't we tell the others?" Ruby asked.

"We got this. Just go in and out." Neptune said.

Ruby rolled her eyes and then started to slowly make her way to the Troll camp. When she got close she heard them talking. She was caught off guard that these creatures could talk. She could hear them talking about cooking the horses and how they don't have a lot of meat on them. One of them complained about how the farmer it ate not too long ago didn't sit well with it.

She started to get angry, she wanted to chop them to pieces, but she remembered that these things might be stronger than they look. She moved closer to the point that she was just behind one of the trolls. She tried to pull the ropes in the horse-pen to no avail. She would normally have pulled out her scythe and cut the ropes, but that would make noise the trolls would hear.

Ruby noticed that one that was sneezing had a blade behind its back, she ran to it so fast she couldn't be seen, only a gust of wind. When she reached the troll, it started to sneeze again and then grab Ruby's hood. It used her hood as a rag to wipe it's nose, and Ruby was hanging at the end of it.

"What the?" the first troll shouted.

"Look what came out me nose. Its huge." said the troll that was still holding Ruby by her hood.

The second troll hit the one holding Ruby, "You idiot, that's a human."

The troll let Ruby go, she landed safely, and she tried to run fast. The first one smashed its fist down in front of her, blocking her escape. Ruby didn't have time to change direction and slammed into its hand. She tried to get back up but the second one grabbed her by the foot and lifted her up. As it lifted her up, she tried to reach for her weapon but dropped it when the troll shook her around.

"Going somewhere little one?" The troll said with a devious smile.

"Can we cook her?" asked the third troll.

"I don't see why not." said the first. "Might add to the protein in the soup."

"DROP HER!"

The trolls looked to where the shout came from and found a man with a staff and a tail, and a man with blue hair holding a rifle and pointing it at the one holding Ruby.

"Another one?" asked the first troll with irritation.

"I said, drop her." Neptune said as he had is eye looking through the scope, pointed at the troll's head.

The troll replied by throwing Ruby at the two men. Ruby crashed into them and they all landed on their backs. Just as they were about to get up, they could hear the sticks breaking and bushes moving behind them. They found their whole company coming out of the forest and into the light of the fire. They all shouted, weapons out, and charged at the three trolls.

Jaune was first one out and cut the first troll's hand, Ren started shooting his SMGs at the troll's chest, and Nora had her hammer out, jumped up high and swung at the troll's face.

Weiss shot ice shards at the second troll, followed by Blake slashing its knees, and Yang punching it's feet and when it came down to her level, she punched it in the jaw.

Yatsuhashi swung his blade at the third one and cut its left arm, Fox ran underneath and cut both legs at the same time, Velvet formed Blake's weapon and threw the light-ribben around the trolls neck and pulled it down, Coco swung her bag straight down as the troll was lifting it's head.

All three trolls were getting beat up and torn up by the entire group, but they wouldn't stay down. Sun and Neptune joined the fight and attacked the closet troll to them.

Ruby saw _Crescent Rose_ in the center of the chaos and ran to it. She picked it up and ran to the horse pen and cut the ropes, setting the horses free. The second troll noticed this and looked angry.

It grabbed Weiss and threw her at Blake, swung its arm to knock Yang away, and ran to Ruby. Ruby didn't notice the troll till it was right on top of her.

Jaune was pushed back by the troll he was fighting and then saw that the second troll was holding ruby by her arms and legs. "RUBY!"

"Drop your weapons... or I pull her apart." The second troll said.

Jaune was the first to drop his sword, followed by Yang. Everyone else dropped their weapons at the same time.

* * *

The trolls had Fox, Yatsuhashi, Ren, Sun and Neptune all tied up over the fire. Everyone else was in bags, with their heads sticking out.

"Don't bother cooking them, let's just sit on 'em and squash 'em into jelly." said the third troll.

"They should be faulted and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." said the second troll.

They continued to argue over what the proper way to cook them until, "Never mind the seasoning, we ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on." said the second troll.

"Agreed. I don't want to be turned to stone." Said the first troll.

Velvet's eyes widened fast, she started to smile at an idea she just came up with. "WAIT! You are making a terrible mistake!"

"Don't bother Velvet, these guys are assholes." Coco said.

"I meant with the seasoning." Velvet continued.

"What's wrong with the seasoning?" The first troll asked.

"Well have you smiled those guys?" She asked. "You'll need something stronger to block up that stench."

"What the hell do you know about cooking humans?" asked the second troll.

"Well, I don't know about humans, after all I'm a Faunus." She made her ears move to show that they were real. "But I've cooked animals that smelled as bad as them."

"Like what?" Asked the third troll.

"Pigs mostly... and cows." Velvet said with a face that showed she was discussed. The guys men started to curse her out for calling them stinky.

"Well than what do you suggest?" asked the first.

"Well the secret to cooking stinky animals is... um..." Velvet's ears wen't down when she couldn't think of anything.

Blake had realized what Velvet was trying to accomplish, "To... skin them first!"

Everyone at once started to yell at Blake for such a suggestion, now the women were cursing her out. Jaune was the only one who was silent. He started to smile as he realized what she was doing.

"What a load of rubbish." said the second troll. "I've eaten plenty with their skin on."

Jaune noticed in the large rocks behind the trolls, a figure holding a sword and cane was walking up the rocks. Velvet noticed the figure too.

"He's right. Nothing wrong with a bit of raw human." said the third troll as he grabbed Nora and held her over its mouth.

Just as it was about to take a bight out of her; Blake spoke up, "WAIT! You don't want to eat her! She's infected!"

Velvet played along, "Yeah, they're all infected with parasites."

The troll dropped Nora with the rest of the group that were in bags.

The entire group started to say that they didn't have parasites and that Velvet and Blake were jerks. Jaune kicked them and gave them a look that meant, 'play along'.

Everyone started to say they were sick with parasites and viruses, which only made the trolls mad.

"What would you have us do then? Let them all go?" Asked the second troll.

"Well..." Velvet said but was interrupted when the troll pushed her down along with Blake.

"You think I don't know what you're up to?" The troll said as it walked back to the grill, "This little ferret is taking us for fools."

"Ferret? I'm a rabbit!" Velvet said with anger in her voice.

"I HOPE YOU THREE LIKE THE SUNRISE!" said Qrow, on top of a large rock that was blocking the sun.

All three trolls looked, "Who's that?" asked the second.

"No idea." said the first.

"Can we eat him to?" asked the third.

Qrow turned his scythe into its full form and slashed the rock in two. As the rock split it exposed the three trolls to sunlight and turned them all to stone. Everyone started to cheer on Qrow for finishing off the trolls.

* * *

 **AN: I was originally going to have this as one big chapter but decided against it. The rest will be posted soon.**

 **Hope you guys like what I have so far.**


	6. Road to Vacuo Part 2: A Strange Wizard a

**Road to Vacuo Part 2: A Strange Wizard and Battle on the Road.**

* * *

 **AN: Sorry it took me so long to finish the other half, had to fix the whole thing. Here's the other half.** **I am sooo happy that you guys are liking my story, it means a lot.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

As everyone was getting their gear together, Qrow was tapping sword against the stone trolls. He smiled at how solid they were.

"Where did you go?" Jaune asked Qrow as he was putting his armor gauntlets back on.

"Looked on ahead. I found that there were more farms and houses that were attacked and I saw a pattern." Qrow said.

"What brought you back?" Jaune asked.

"Seeing that the pattern lead back to you guys." Qrow said with a smile.

"Nice timing." Ruby said as she hugged Qrow. "Now I have to wash my hood." She said as she held her hood out with disgust.

Jaune looked at the stone trolls, "Aren't these Mountain Trolls?"

"How'd you know?" Ruby asked.

"They were in some of the legends about Star Knights. But it was said that they only dwell in mountain regions. Mostly in the Ettenmoors, to the north." Jaune said.

"What would make them come this far south, where there are no mountains?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. The only time they ever did was during the Great War. When a very dark power ruled this area." Qrow said. He then looked up at the sunlight on the trees, "They couldn't have traveled during the day. There must be a cave close by."

Jaune turned to everyone else, "Fan out and look for a cave, there might be something of value in it."

After everyone got their stuff back form the trolls, they followed Jaune's orders and looked around.

* * *

After about five minutes of searching, Sun found a hole under a giant rock pile.

"I found it!" Sun said as he pinches his nose, "And it stinks."

Jaune, Qrow, Coco, Blake and Weiss walked up to the entrance. Jaune turned to the rest of the group, "Head back to the _Grizzly_ and bring it here." Jaune then turned to Ren, he handed him a small remote, " Can you get my bike?"

Ren nodded and took the remote, the rest of the group left to do as they were ordered.

As the small group who stayed behind made their way in, Weiss kept her nose pinched.

"It smells like something died in here." Weiss said as she was carefully watching her steps.

"Your probably not that far off." Sun said as he on something that sounded like metal.

He looked down to find a pile of gold coins and credit chips. Most likely came from the farms the trolls pillaged. He kneeled down and grabbed a few, "You know it'd be an insult to just leave this all here. I mean, the trolls aren't going to be using it anytime soon."

"Your right. Weiss, help Sun count how much this is all worth and load it into the _Grizzly_." Jaune said as he walked up to Sun.

"Why do I have to help monkey-boy take the gold?" Weiss asked with a face of irritation.

"Because you're the only one here you can appraise all this." Jaune said.

"That would make sense." Weiss said as she walked over to Sun to help count and carry.

"Jaune... Take a look at this." Coco said, further down the cave.

Jaune walked up to her, Blake was by her side, and when he reached them he was surprised to find a large pile of unused dust bullets.

"That's a lot of bullets." Blake said.

"You think you can match them all up to our guns?" Jaune asked.

"Willing to try." Coco said as she lifted her sunglasses up and kneeled down to dig through the pile.

"I'll help." Blake said as she helped dig through the bullets.

Jaune walked up to Qrow, "Be honest, even if we get to Vacuo and get the map translated, do you think that they will let us finish our mission?"

Qrow gave Jaune a look that he normally uses in serious conversations, "I wouldn't be surprised if they would try to stop us. But... we will cross that bridge when we get there."

Jaune and Qrow walked out to find the _Grizzly_ parked outside the cave, the rest of the company were getting out. "Grab some empty boxes and help the others with our new supplies." Jaune said as he and Qrow walked to the back of the tank to help unload the spare boxes to use.

After about ten minutes of appraising and inspecting their new supplies, they loaded them into the back of the tank.

As Weiss was carrying a box of gold, Jaune walked up to her, "So, how much was all of it?"

"Well over 12,000 credits worth. We'll be able to buy another tank." Weiss said with a slight laugh.

"We'll be sure to make a deposit when we get to Vacuo." Jaune said with a chuckle, he then turned to Coco who was holding a box of bullets. "What do we have?"

Coco set down the box of bullets in the tank and wiped her forehead, "Well... We have over 200 bullets that can go to Ren, Blake and Sun's guns, 80 shotgun shells for Yang, 60 bullets that match your gun, 300 that match mine, 50 bullets for Ruby's gun and 20 grenades for Nora. Unfortunately for Neptune and Velvet, there weren't any power-cells in that pile for their weapons."

"Well, with all the gold we have, I'm sure we can make a few purchases that'll solve that problem." Jaune said with a smile.

"Something's coming!" Ren shouted as he was on top of the tank.

Everyone dropped what they were doing and readied their weapons. Then came in eight large rabbits hooked up to a sled, there was a man on the sled. Just as the sled reached the group it stopped, Qrow immediately recognized the owner. "STOP!"

Qrow put himself between the sled owner and the company, "He's a friendly." Qrow then turned to the sled owner, "Radagast. It's Radagast the Brown."

"Qrow!" the man said with a big smile on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Qrow asked with a look of confusion.

"I was looking for you Qrow. Something's wrong! Something's terribly wrong!" He said with a scarred voice.

"Yes?" Qrow asked with a look of 'get to the point'.

Just as Radagast was about to say something he stopped. Then when he tried again he couldn't say anything. Then he started to get upset. "Oh... I just had the thought and now it's gone. It was right there on the tip of my tongue." Then he made a face of confusion, "Wait... It wasn't a thought." He put his hand in his mouth and pulled out a bug, "It was a Stick-bug" He then put the bug on a tree next to him.

In the back of the group, Weiss whispered, "That's a wizard? He's weird."

Yang immediately turned around, "Weiss, we live in a world where there are people with animal features on them," she pointed to Blake, "...where people have special powers," she pointed to both Weiss and herself, "... and we fight monsters that dissolve when we kill them, we're _all_ weird."

"Well, he's the creepy kind of weird." Weiss snapped back in a whisper.

* * *

As the company continued to load the tank with the new supplies, Radagast pulled Qrow to the side to talk to him.

"The Greenwood is sick, Qrow. A darkness is falling over it." Radagast said.

"Yes, I've heard, there has been a lot more Grimm activity there." Qrow said as he was drinking from his flask.

"It's not just that. Nothing grows anymore, at least, nothing good. The air is foul with decay. And worse are the webs." Radagast said with almost anger in his voice.

Qrow choked on his drink when he heard 'webs'. "Webs?"

"Spiders, Qrow. Giant ones. Some new breed of Grimm Black Widow. I followed their trail. They came from... Dol Guldur." Radagast said.

Qrow seemed confused when he heard that name. "Dol Guldur? But that fortress has been abandon for over a hundred years."

"No Qrow." Radagast said with a chill running down his own spine, "It is not."

* * *

(Radagast's Flashback/ Fortress of Dol Guldur)

 **(AN: In this flashback, the quotations will be Radagast narrating.)**

Radagast was walking up the path that leads into the ruined, old fortress. As he walked through the front gate, he had to rip his way through spider webs.

 _"A dark power dwells in there, power that I've never felt in my life."_

Radagast had his staff ready in the event that a fight was near. As he walked through the main courtyard he saw old statures, creepy looking ones.

 _"It was the middle of the day and yet it was dark. Almost as if a shadow was over the area, a shadow of an ancient horror."_

There were three statures in the courtyard. Three women, two men. The three women were wearing outfits that are normally associated with huntresses. The two men looked like knights. Radagast walked past the first woman statue, as he passed it, a white figure started to emerge from the top.

 _"A shadow that could summon the spirits... of the dead."_

Radagast turned to find a white figure, almost looking like a woman, holding a short sword. She jumped on him in an attempt to stab him; he used his staff to block the blade and pushed her off him. She faded into the ground then came back up just as fast as she left. She was screeching like a sound from her mouth that sounded like a cross between a human scream and a tire squeak, but more ferocious.

She tried to stab him again, this time Radagast dodged her charge and hit her with the brown dust diamond as it was glowing bright. When it made contact with her it made her shriek again and drop her weapon. She faded into the ground like before, but this time she didn't come back out.

Radagast started to pant, mostly because he hasn't been in a fight in a long time. Then he heard a sound to his right. He looked to the entrance to the main hall of the fortress and found a pail man standing there. He had no hair, his eyes were black, and he was thin.

 _"I saw him, Qrow... From out of the Darkness... a Necromancer was there."_

The man pointed his right hand at Radagast, then Beowulves and Blood Shriekers **(Grimm-bats)** came out of the fortress. The Beowulves came from over the walls on the other side of the courtyard; the bats came out of the windows in the fortress like bees from a hive. Radagast grabbed the sword the white figure dropped and ran as fast as he could to his sled. He rode off, losing the Grimm in the forest.

(End of flashback.)

* * *

Radagast looked almost traumatized; Qrow put his hand on his shoulder.

"Just relax. Your fine now. Here, drink." Qrow said as he offered Radagast his flask.

Radagast drank a little, and then his face relaxed and his whole body slumped in relaxation. He then stood back up, "Thanks... I needed that."

"Now... This 'Necromancer', are you sure?" Qrow asked.

Radagast answered by pulling out a wrapped object from his coat and handed it to Qrow. Qrow slowly opened the part that felt like a hilt, and when he saw it he knew what it was.

"That blade hasn't been seen... since the fall of the first Dark Maiden." Radagast whispered. "And there's something else I found." he then pulled out a small pair of glasses, the lenses were broken, and the thin metal frame bent like a paperclip, but both Radagast and Qrow know who it belonged to.

"Are you saying...?" Qrow asked.

"It would make sense. They would have him in the one place no one would dare to enter." Radagast said with a confident look in his eye. He then looked to the company, he saw Jaune helping the others finish loading up the camp. "He looks younger than I thought he'd be." He then turned back to Qrow, "He's not ready."

"Well, we need him now. Or Vale has no chance for survival." Qrow then gestured the object in his hand, "And if what you told me is true, then we'll need him even more so."

Radagast was about to argue but was cut off when he heard a howl in the air. Everyone looked around in response to the howl.

Ren was walking to the Grizzly and heard scratching sounds, when he walked to the other side he found what was making the noise. "Beowulves!" he shouted to the others as he readied his guns.

Everyone readied their weapons just in time for four more Beowulves to come through the trees and attack. Ren killed one that was attacking the _Grizzly_ , Yatsuhashi slashed one diagonally with his massive sword just as it was about to attack Coco from behind, Neptune shot one down as it was charging at Weiss, Velvet projected her hollo-sword that looked like Weiss' stabbed one as it was charging at her, and Ruby decapitated the fourth as it was charging at her.

Jaune ran up to Ren, "How many can you sense?"

Ren closed his eyes, "Ten... wait... no, there's Boarbatusk and Creepers with them. A total of 30 Grimm." Ren opened his eyes with shock as he looked to Jaune, "There is exactly ten of each breed."

"Since when do those three breeds travel together in such a big pack?" Weiss asked.

"They don't." Qrow said as he readied his weapon.

Jaune looked to Ruby, "Who did you tell about our mission besides our friends?"

"No one." Ruby said, she was surprised Jaune would ask that.

"WHO DID YOU TELL?" Jaune practically shouted.

"NO ONE, I swear!" Ruby shouted back. She could see it in Jaune's eyes, he knew something she didn't. "What's going on?"

"We are being hunted." Jaune said.

"We need to go now." Blake said.

"We got a problem, that Beowulf damaged one of the fuel tank." Ren said while he was looking at the damage.

Everyone ran to where the damage was, the claw marks were deep in the armor of the tank, deep enough to reach one of the fuel tanks. Coco started to work on the damage by patching up the hole with duct tape.

"How bad?" Jaune asked.

"I know we have some fuel in the primary tank, below. Enough to get us to Vacuo, but it's _not_ enough for a fight with the Grimm." Coco said.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast said.

"These are the speed Grimm types, they'll out run you." Qrow said.

"These are Rhosgebel Rabbits." Radagast said as he pointed at his sled.

When Velvet heard 'Rhosgebel' she started to smile.

"I'd like to see them try." Radagast said with a confident smile.

* * *

Just outside the tree-line, the White Fang agents, the fox and wolf Faunus, were on dirt bikes in the middle of the Grimm pack. There was a girl riding behind the wolf Faunus, it was Neo.

The wolf Faunus raised his right arm to his mouth, there was a black wrist band with white stripes and red markings on it. "Four wolves and three Creeps, move in and smoke them out." he spoke into the band.

Immediately after saying that, the Grimm he called out moved into the tree line, following orders.

Just as they went in, a sled being pulled by rabbits came rushing past them. All the Grimm in the pack, including the White Fang agents, chase after him.

"COME AND GET ME! HA HA!" Radagast said as he was riding his sled.

"After him! He may know where they are!" Shouted the fox Faunus.

* * *

Once Jaune was sure that the pack was far enough away for it to be safe, he gave them the signal to drive out of the tree line. They made their way back onto the path that would lead them to Vacuo. After about five minutes of driving, they started to hear howls again.

Coco got out of her seat and opened the top hatch of the tank and looked behind them, "We got company!"

She lowered down and Neptune came back up with his rifle out and started shooting at the Grimm.

Inside the tank, Blake moved to the passenger seat, while Velvet was still sitting there, "Excuse me." After climbing over her, she put one foot under the seat, right hand holding a handle inside the tank, and her sword in pistol-mode in his left hand and started shooting.

Coco opened the back hatch and opened her mini-gun and started shooting at any Grimm that got too close.

As they killed a Grimm, more and more kept coming. Some came from the trees to their left; others came up down form the hills to their right. It was like every fast moving Grimm in the area was after them, instead of just that one pack. And behind the pack was the two Faunus and Neo.

Jaune heard the gunfire and quickly looked behind him to see everyone shooting at the Grimm that was closing in on the tank. He gave a signal to Yang that meant, 'turn around and help'.

Almost as if they had rehearsed it, both Jaune and Yang spun their bikes around started to drive towards the Grimm hoard chasing the tank, and pulled out their weapons and started attacking the Grimm. Jaune used is Desert Eagle with his left hand; Yang was only using her left gauntlet. They fire a few rounds and spun back around to be on either side of the tank.

As they continued to drive and shoot, Yatsuhashi saw big Ursa ahead of them, it was like they were guarding the path. Yatsuhashi made a quick decision to turn right hard and try to go around them. Everyone in the tank was having a hard time holding onto things as Yatsu made his quick turn. Just as the tank was about to clear the Ursa, one of them scratched the side of the tank. Not too deep, but it was enough to make a sound that hurt their ears.

As Blake was shooting she could see people at the back of the hoard, she turned to Jaune, "JAUNE! THERE ARE PEOPLE BACK THERE! WHITE FANG!" She hand to shout because of the roar of the engine was too loud.

Jaune made a quick look and saw who she was talking about. He looked back to Blake and nodded, "Qrow, we got White Fang on the field. Let's take care of that."

"Right behind you." Qrow said as he started ride up next to him.

"Keep going forward, we'll catch up." Jaune said into the radio. They both then spun around fast and drove straight at the hoard.

As they were getting closer to the hoard, Jaune opened his shield and put it on the handlebars of his bike, and then it started to glow, a barrier formed around the shield, and the whole front of the bike. They plowed through the hoard like they were snow. Qrow was riding behind him to keep from getting hit by the bodies that were being bulldozed.

They reached the White Fang bikers that were in the back, Jaune and Blake pulled out their guns and started shooting at the bikers, just as the bikers started shooting at them. All of them missed their shots; Jaune turned back around fast and started to drive in parallel with them.

* * *

Up at the front of the hoard, the Grimm were starting to get closer, Boarbatusk were rolling fast and ramming the sides of the tank. Ruby climbed out of the top hatch and had one hand on the tank, the other holding her scythe. Just as another Boarbatusk was about to ram the tank, she swung her scythe and cut it in half.

Sun came out to the top and helped her out by swinging his staff to hit any Beowulf tried to jump on top of the tank.

Creeps were staring to jump on the sides of the tank; Velvet made a hollo-hammer and smashed them before they could do any more damage.

Yang backed up and aided the rest of the group as best she could, shooting any Grimm that got too close on her side or got too close to her by shooting her gauntlet behind her.

As Coco was reloading her mini-gun, Ren and Neptune were shooting in her place in the back hatch. Neptune kept firing until his rifle stopped working; he looked at the battery power and saw that it was depleted. "I'm out."

Nora took his place and started shooting her grenades next to Ren. "This'll be one heck of a story!"

"Let's just make sure we live to tell it." Ren said as he was reloading his guns.

Right then, all the Grimm were being shot at by long-range riffles, that weren't coming from Ruby. Yatsuhashi saw bikers ride up the path and drive past the tank to engage the Grimm behind them. One of the bikers rode up next to the tank on the driver's side and gave a signal that meant 'stop'. Yatsu did as he was told and stopped the tank immediately in response to these new arrivals.

* * *

The White Fang agents stopped their bikes and jumped off, as did Jaune and Qrow.

Jaune took on the girl with the pink and brown hair, with eyes that matched, while Qrow took on the two Faunus.

Jaune had both sword and shield out, he was shining his sword and she dodged every swing. This continued for a few more seconds before Jaune put his sword back in his shield and quick-drew his pistol, firing four shots.

Neo pulled out her umbrella and blocked every shot. Jaune put power into the bullets, enough to make them 'high-ex'. When they hit the umbrella, they exploded, but made no damage to the umbrella. He then made his next bullet into 'armor-percing'. That ripped right through and grazed her left shoulder.

She backed up, in shock that he was able to break her umbrella. Jaune ran forward, holstered his guns and pulled out his sword. He knocked her umbrella out of her hand and swung his shield at her to knock her down.

She was knocked back pretty far and landed on her feet.

At the same time, Qrow was practically mopping the floor with the two Faunus as if they were small fry. He defeated the fox, but the wolf jumped on one of the bikes and rode towards Neo and Jaune.

Jaune pointed his sword at Neo, "I want you to send a message to your master, tell Cinder, I'm coming for her!" He had an angry and determined face when he said that, and it actually scared Neo.

Jaune then rolled to his left right when he heard a bike come up behind him fast, when he looked back up, he saw Neo jump onto the bike and they both rode off.

Qrow walked up to Jaune, "You ok?"

"Yeah." Jaune said. He then turned around and walked to his bike, "Let's get back to the others."

* * *

Jaune and Qrow finally caught up with the tank to find it stationary with soldiers on bikes surrounding it. They rode up to the large group and dismounted.

Some of the soldiers pointed their guns at Jaune and Qrow; they both held their hands up, "Whoa! Whoa! We're all on the same side." Qrow said.

"He's right, stand down." Said a man as he walked out of the circle and walked towards Jaune and Qrow. The rest of the company of hunters walked out of the Grizzly and ran to Jaune and Qrow, past the soldiers.

Another walked up with the first; both still had their helmets on, so no one could see their faces. The first man crossed his arms, "You know, Qrow, I would have through after becoming an Acting-Headmaster you would at least _try_ to not get into trouble."

Qrow recognized the voice immediate, "This coming from the Headmaster that _still_ rides with his former students."

Jaune looked to Qrow with confusion, as did everyone else.

Qrow cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is the Headmaster of Shade Academy, Elrond Halfelven."

The soldier took off his helmet just as Qrow had introduced him to the others. The other soldier took off his helmet and revealed himself to the others; he was unfamiliar to any of the company. But Jaune felt as though he knew him. And in that second he knew, "You're a Star Knight."

"How can you tell?" Ruby asked.

"I can feel it." Jaune said.

The other soldier looked to Jaune and smiled, "Indeed. John Smith, Star Knight of Vacuo, at your service." He said with a slight bow. "And you must be Jaune Arc."

"You know, the White Fang hasn't made any attempt on Vacuo in a long time, especially after the 'Faunus Freedom' amendment was passed in our kingdom." Elrond said. "Seems like they were after something, or someone." He then looked at both Ruby and Jaune.

"That's our fault, really." Qrow said with a hand behind his head.

Elrond looked to Jaune, "Welcome, Mr. Arc." He chuckled, "You look just like your father when he was your age."

"You knew my father?" Jaune asked.

"For a time." He looked to the tank then to the company, he then spoke in a language that is only native to the people of Vacuo.

"Uh, what?" Ruby asked.

"He is offering us his hospitably." Qrow said.

"We would gladly accept." Jaune spoke up.

Elrond smiled, "Welcome to Vacuo. Now, follow us, we will lead you to where you will be staying." The soldiers gave the company fuel to use for the Grizzly. After refueling was finished, they whole company, plus the soldiers, continued down the road.

* * *

After about thirty minutes of driving, they could see the walls of the city of Vacuo, and then drove up to the walls of Shade Academy. Once they reached the main entrance, they all disembarked and followed Elrond to a small town in the valley next to the Academy.

"This is one of our living spaces next to our academy, its where our Sky Knights and their families live." John said as he led them down the path that leads into the small town.

"In our native language we call it _'_ _Imladris_ _'_ , but in the common tough it has a different name." Elrond said.

" _Rivendell_." Jaune said as he marveled at the valley's beauty.

* * *

 **AN: There you go.**

 **I hope you guys like that battle I made, because that is only the tip of the iceberg.**

 **Like I said before, I REALLY appreciate that all of you like my story.**

 **Please spread the word to anyone else you think would like this story.**

 **And if you have any opinions on how I could make the story better, I'm willing to take a few suggestions.**

 **Anyway, thanks again!**

 **R &R**


	7. Two (K)nights in Rivendell and The Inner

**Two (K)nights in Rivendell and The Inner Circle Meeting**

* * *

 **AN: Here we will see that there is a lot more going on than what Jaune believes.**

 **Incase if no one could see it, the Vacuo Star Knight, John Smith, is my reference to Pocahontas.**  
 **I got the idea because some of the characters of RWBY were based on Disney characters, and I thought John Smith would be a good Knight for this story.**

 **Anyway, on to the story.**

* * *

(Rivendell, Vacuo)

It was surprising for Jaune to find such a lush and green environment in the kingdom of Vacuo. According to its history, Rivendell is the crown jewel of the whole country, the only valley that has a river running through it that can sustain plant life. It was also the source for the salvation of Vacuo whenever there was a drought. To be there now as a guest was more than an honor for Jaune and the rest of the company.

Jaune had heard the stories form the Sky Knights he trained with over the years. Some went to Rivendell when they were on their vacation with their families and some were lucky enough to have their honeymoons with their spouses. Carol went there for a week as a reward for one of her missions. It was everything she had described to him.

They left the _Grizzly_ and their bikes in the same area the soldiers left their vehicles. Elrond and John lead the company to the main entrance and showed them the map of the area.

John points to buildings on the map as he explains, "Here is where we are. This is the parking lot for all vehicles. This is our soldier's dormitories; next to it is where the families live. Here is the sparing area. This is the dining hall."

"I'm sure you all would want to refresh yourselves after such a rough trip here. There is a spa next to the dorms that you are welcome to if you wish." Elrond says as he points to the building.

"Yes, please." Weiss says with a smile.

Everyone but Jaune and Qrow walked back to the Grizzly to get their stuff. Elrond turned to Jaune and Qrow, "How long will you be staying for?"

"I'd say two days. Give them a brake." Qrow said.

"Well, once they are done with their spa treatment, I would like to invite you all for dinner this evening." Elrond said as he motioned for Qrow to follow.

"We would be happy to." Qrow says with a smile then he put his arm around Elrond's shoulder and pulled his flask out. "Now, where do you guys keep your good stuff?"

Jaune and John were the last ones at the front gate. Jaune looked to John, "Just curious, those soldiers who save my company, those were Sky Knights, right?"

"Yup. They follow my orders, and the orders of the General Sky Knight."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll see you at dinner." he said as he extended his hand.

"Yeah, see you there." John said as they both shook hands.

* * *

After everyone got their stuff together and unloaded form the Grizzly, they were all wondering what a Star Knight was. Given that they heard both Jaune and John speak of them. Ruby filled them all in on what she knew, the legends, the duties they uphold, and that the reason why Jaune was gone for two years was because he was training to be a Star Knight. After hearing all this, the entire company vowed to stay with Jaune to the end, and help him fulfill his duty as the Star Knight of Vale.

Before they went to dinner, the company enjoyed the time in the spa, both the men and women enjoyed their hot baths. It took a little convincing but the men were able to get Neptune into the water, although he was sitting stiff the entire time.

When Jaune joined them, all the men were surprised to see the amount of scars there were all over his body. Cut marks along his back and front, some looked like claw marks. There were a few burn marks as well. Fox particularly noticed the scar on his right arm from when the Ground Dweller stung him.

Jaune was sitting in the water, chest deep, and he realized that everyone was staring at his scars. Ruby had told him beforehand that they know about him and the Star Knights, so he didn't have to hide the truth anymore. "From my training." he said.

"How rough was it?" Ren asked.

"Well... I was warned that it's a lot harder than training to become a Huntsman. And that was true." Jaune said. "But that doesn't matter now. We're here, we're in a spa. Take it all in now, because it'll be a while before we get this clean before the mission is over."

On the other side of the wall that divided the women and the men's side, the ladies heard every word. And followed his advice to enjoy the bath while they could.

* * *

The company arrived at the dining hall and started to eat their fill of Vacuo food. For the people of Vacuo, which is pretty much a large desert, they had mostly vegetables and seeds. Some of the staff was playing soft music with harps and flutes, up on stage.

Nora was holding a piece of lettuce in her hand; she looked at it with disgust. Ren was right next to her, "Try it. Just a mouth full."

"I don't like green food." Nora said as she dropped it.

Yang looked at her salad bowl, "Where's the meat?"

"Do they at least have fruit?" Nora asked.

Coco was lucky to find that they had fresh coffee for her. Everyone else was trying their best to find what they could eat and had their fill. Jaune was one of the lucky few to find that he could eat what they set out; mostly because of the diet his sister put him on when he started the training.

Qrow and Elrond walked in, "Kind of you to invite us. I'm not really dressed for dinner." Qrow said as he gestured to his outfit.

Elrond was in a more formal robe, "Well, you never are." He said with a smile.

Qrow laughed at that comment. They both walked up to the company as they were eating, what little they could, and joined them. They sat at the end of the table that Jaune was sitting on. "So, my friend, how was your trip to Vacuo? Eventful, I suspect?"

"You would be right... We encountered three Mountain Trolls." Qrow said between bites of lettuce. "After that we were attacked by that hoard of Grimm that you saved our company from."

Elrond was surprised to hear this, to say he was shocked to hear of the Trolls would be an understatement. "This is unsettling. I will be sure to have the boarders watch for more trolls in the future. Tell me, what brought you here?"

"Excuse me." Jaune said as he stood up and walked away.

"Please don't take it personally; he's been through a lot." Qrow said as he drank from his flask.

"Yes, I'm sure. Being a Star Knight is no small job." Elrond said.

Qrow nodded in agreement, "Of course."

"John has done a tremendous job keeping our country safe; he's just as capable as his family before him." Elrond said as he raised his glass.

"Yeah. And I'm sure Jaune will be up to the challenge when it comes to him." Qrow said as he and Elrond tapped their glasses together.

* * *

After leaving the dinner table, Jaune walked far enough away so that no one could see him. He walked to a balcony and saw the stars.

"It's beautiful." he heard a familiar voice behind him.

He didn't turn around, he continued to look forward. The person who spoke walked up next to him, it was Pyrrha.

"Reminds me of our old spot." Jaune said with a slight smile.

Pyrrha looked to him and smiled, "Yeah. It was just as good as this one."

"Did I make the right decision... Bringing them along?" Jaune asked.

"Yes." Pyrrha said as she walked in front of him and looked him in the eye. "You need them as much as they need you. You haven't been able to smile, when I wasn't around, until you met up with them."

"Why do I bother getting into an argument with you, if you always win?" Jaune said with a slight smile.

"It's in your nature. Go back there and enjoy your time in Rivendell, while you still can." Pyrrha said.

He turned around just as she finished, and made his way back to the dinner table.

* * *

After dinner, Elrond asked Qrow and Jaune to meet up with him in his main office at Shade Academy. While everyone else went to a long awaited sleep, Ruby and Weiss went with Jaune and Qrow to Shade.

"I'd say it's time you tell me why you are all really here for." Elrond said as he sat down at his desk.

"You're right." Qrow said as he pulled out the map. He opened it up and laid it out on the desk.

"Beacon..." Elrond sounded both surprised and irritated. "What interest is this map to you?"

"Academic really." Ozpin lied. "It was given to me by Ozpin. And knowing him, I'm sure there's a hidden message there."

Elrond nodded in agreement, he stood up and held the map in his hands looking at it closely. "Ah, I see. He used 'Cirth Ithil' on this map."

"'Moon Runes'." Weiss said with an 'obvious' face.

Both Ruby and Jaune looked at her with confusion. "What?" Ruby asked.

"It's like invisible ink. Except that they can be shown again only through moon light." Weiss explained. Both Qrow and Elrond looked impressed. "Me and my sister use to write to each other and use them to tell secret messages."

"You are right, Ms. Schnee. However, _these_ kinds of Moon Runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season of the day that they were written on." Elrond said.

"Can you read them?" Jaune asked.

Elrond gestured them to follow him to follow him to the elevator. He pressed the top floor button and they went to the very top of the tower. On the top of the tower that had clear glass walls and above them was the clock bell, like the one in Beacon. There was a crystal pedestal in the center, Elrond walked over to it and placed the map on top.

"These Runes were written on a Midwinter's day, by the light of a nearly Full Moon, nearly 2 years ago." Elrond said, his eyebrows rose as he continued, "It would seem that you were meant to come here. Fate is on your side, Mr. Arc. The same moon shines tonight."

Everyone looked up to see the moon clear the clouds and saw its light hit the crystal pedestal. When the light hit it, it started to glow. On the map, they could see light blue writing forming next to the picture of Beacon.

* * *

(Ozpin's message goes as follows.)

Stand below the cliffside of the school. There you will find large walls of Granet and Gray stone, wait till the last light of New Year's Eve shines and you will find the keyhole as clear as day.

* * *

"New Year's Eve?" Jaune asks, "That's a week away."

"We still have time." Ruby said. "We just need to be at the right place at the right time. Then we can open the door."

"So this is your mission. You're going into Beacon." Elrond said.

"Is that a problem?" Jaune said with a cold look on his face.

"There are some who would deem it unwise." Elrond said as he handed Jaune the map.

"Who do you mean?" Qrow asked.

"We're not the only ones who protect Remnant, Qrow." Elrond said as he walked back to the elevator.

* * *

(Spire Fortress/Forever Fall Forest)

The wolf Faunus and Neo had arrived at the front gate, Neo had a makeshift bandage over her left shoulder. They got off the bike, and walked to the main entrance to the tower. Mercury was at the front waiting for them.

"What the hell happened to you? Where's the fox guy?" Mercury asked.

"Dead. It was Branwen." the wolf said.

After Neo got patched up, she and the wolf Faunus were brought to the top of the tower to speak to Cinder.

"I gave you a way to control the Grimm. And you come back empty handed?" Cinder said as she sat on her glass throne, tapping her fingers on the arm rests. Emerald and Mercury were present at this meeting.

"We had them out numbered, but then Branwen and this knight came at us on their own-"

"Enough! I don't want to hear excuses." She waved her hand at the wolf, "You have disappointed me. Get out of my sight before I kill you."

The Faunus left before she changed her mind.

Cinder then looked to Neo, "And you. One of my favorite companions." She got up out of her throne and slowly walked to Neo. "I gave you a simple job. Find Ruby Rose, and bring me her head. What was so hard about that?" Cinder then noticed the bandage on her arm, "Who did this to you?"

Neo responded by holding up her scroll, it was a recorded audio file. She pressed the playback button, " _I want you to send a message to your master, tell Cinder, I'm coming for her!"_

She looked a little annoyed to hear that she was being threatened by someone who wasn't even present, "Who said this?"

"It wasn't Branwen, I know his voice." Mercury said.

"It must have been the knight the wolf guy spoke of." Emerald said.

"Forget about the knight. We need to focus on Rose." Cinder said as she waved her hand.

"What do you want to do? Send another hunting party?" Mercury asked.

"No... If you want something done right, you do it yourself." Cinder said as she turned around, "Ready the vehicles, we ride for Vacuo."

"What about our guest?" Emerald asked.

"You will stay and begin the 'reconditioning'. I'm sure my mistress would want her to be ready as soon as possible." Cinder said with a smile.

They all walked down to the lower garage of the tower and mounted their vehicles. Two trucks and four bikes. Mercury and Neo went with Cinder in this hunting party. Emerald waved them off and then walked to the elevator, she pressed the prison button.

Outside the main gates to the Spire, the convoy drove past a small hoard of speed-type Grimm. The Grimm followed the convoy in a parallel path, moving south.

* * *

Emerald walked out of the elevator and walked up to Pyrrha's cell, Pyrrha was sitting on her bed, still awake.

Emerald had an idea, "Hey, princess... Do you recognize this voice?" she asked as she played back Neo's recording.

When Pyrrha heard it, her eyes widened. She never thought she would hear that voice again. "Where did you get that?" She couldn't keep herself from asking.

"Form one of my friends. She was threatened by this man. Do you know him?" Emerald asked.

"He was in my class." Pyrrha tried not to give her too much information, or else they may try to use him against her. "But I didn't know him very well."

"Well, he seems pretty determined that's for sure." Emerald then signaled for two guard to come over to the door. "Anyway, the real reason why I'm here is because I'm to start the 'reconditioning'."

The White Fang Lieutenant **(The one with the chainsaw)** and another big guard walk into the cell and each grab an arm. She tried to struggle but was pulled out of the cell and into a dark room. They placed her in a chair that locked her arms and legs to it. They hooked up her 'crown' to a stand to keep her head from moving around. It also contacted the crown to a computer in the next room to look at her brain waves and her aura levels.

A video recording started to play on a screen in the room. Pyrrha started to see images of Beacon after it fell. Emerald walked over to Pyrrha and placed her hand on Pyrrha's head. For Pyrrha, she wasn't just watching the images anymore, it was as if she was there at all of them. She was right in the middle of the madness, then she started to hear voices.

 _"You couldn't save them."_

 _"You failed as a Huntress."_

 _"You are the destroyer of Vale."_

This continued till she started to scream, but then she heard a new voice, _"Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, like, five more feet?"_

Emerald let go immediately and started to grab her head as if she was having a headache. It hurt her so much that she fell to her knees. The moment the guards got to her to help her up she raised her hand to stop them. She stood up and looked at Pyrrha with anger in her eyes, "What the hell was that? HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?"

She was furious that not only was she kicked out of Pyrrha's mind, but it caused feedback. Pyrrha was just as surprised as Emerald, she didn't know what to say in response. "I didn't do anything."

Just as Emerald was about to hit her because she believed Pyrrha was lying, one of the guards walked over to her and stopped her. "You got to see this."

Emerald walked over to the other room to see the White Fang doctor that had the computer that monitored Pyrrha. Emerald noticed something particularly odd in the playback. Around the same time she started getting the headache, something appeared on the computer. Something that Emerald saw only a few days ago. "Is this for real? I thought you said that unknown aura fragment dissipated!"

"It _DID_! And now it's gone again." The doctor said.

"How is this possible?" Emerald asked.

"It's possible that it went dormant when she was no longer in any harm or danger. How it managed to drive you out is beyond me." The doctor said.

"We will have to run different tests then." Emerald said as she looked at Pyrrha through the glass with anger in her eyes.

* * *

(Rivendell, Vacuo)

The next morning came quick. Once everyone was awake, they all split up into separate jobs. Team CFVY, Neptune and Yang were to fix up the vehicles. Weiss, Blake, Ruby and Sun left to the markets of Vacuo to deposit the gold from the trolls into credits they could use.

Jaune followed the group he sent to the garage and looked at his own bike. John Smith walked in behind him, wearing casual clothing. "Hey, Jaune. How's your bike?"

"Well... Not too bad. But the _Grizzly_ 's another story." Jaune said as he looked to the team as they were working on it. He walked over to Coco who was looking at a data pad with all the damages. "How bad?"

"Well, we lost the secondary fuel tank, armor plating on the sides are practically scrap metal now, and two tires are flat." Coco said with a angry look on her face. "We were lucky those soldiers arrived when they did or we'd been overrun."

"Your tank is one hell of a thing. Took on a hoard of Grimm and came out in this condition." John said as he tapped the armor plating. He had a look on his face as if he made a decision. Then pulled out his scroll and dialed a number, "Hey. It's John. Look we have some guests who ran into Grimm yesterday, I was hoping you and your crew would come by and give them some upgrades? Really? Thanks." He then looked to Jaune and Coco, "All set, they'll be here in a few minutes to fix you guys up."

"What was that for?" Jaune asked, not that he was ungrateful; he just didn't expect someone would be so willing.

"I heard what you're really here for. And I understand. So, I will do anything in my power to help." John said as he raised his hand to Jaune. Just as Jaune took his hand, John pulled him in, "So long as you do one small thing for me."

 _"I knew it was too good to be true."_ Jaune thought as he rolled his eyes. "What do you need?"

"A duel." John said with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Jaune was surprised to hear such a request.

"You see... ever since you and your company arrived, there has been a betting pool on which, of the two of us, is the stronger Star Knight." John said.

"And you have a wager in the pool?" Coco asked.

"Not in the slightest. But it is a question I want answered." John said as he looked to Jaune.

"You're on." Jaune said with an understanding look on his face, he was curious as well.

* * *

(Rivendell Sky Knight Stadium)

Everyone gathered in Rivendell went to the stadium. After the whole company finished with their jobs, they joined the hundreds of Sky Knights that were in the bleachers surrounding the stage. Qrow and Elrond were sitting in the press box above the crowd.

The match was simple: both knights were to use only their swords, no projectile weapons of any kind, the loser would be chosen by the one who has the lowest aura percentage.

Ruby was sitting next to Yang, "This reminds me of the Festival matches."

"Yeah, except this time it's Jaune in the single's round." Yang said as she ate some popcorn.

"BREAK HIS LEGS JAUNE!" Nora shouted, Ren had to use both his arms to keep her from jumping.

Jaune stepped onto the stage, the crowd cheered him on, most likely the ones who betted on him, along with his company. He waved at his company when he saw them in the stands. He was wearing his full armor, sword in hand, and without a helmet.

John walked onto stage, the crowd cheered louder when their Star Knight walked onto the field, he waved them off. He wearing armor that somewhat resembled Jaune's however the color scheme was blue and orange. He was holding an assault rifle that then transformed into a sword that was just as long as Jaune's Crocea Mors.

"Just curious, do all Star Knights use a sword and shield, or is that just us?" Jaune asked.

"From what I've heard, yeah, pretty much." John said as he took his standby position.

Jaune did the same and waited for the starter bell.

The crowed quieted as the countdown began.

 **3\. 2. 1.**

The moment the bell rang both knights charged at each other, both their blades glowing bright. When they clashed there was a bright light that blinded everyone. Once the light died down, they could see them both fighting.

John went with a more aggressive approach and tried to not let Jaune have an opportunity to strike. Jaune blocked every swing and tried his best to hold his ground.

John made his sword glow again and then swung his sword horizontally in an attempt to weaken Jaune's defense. Jaune dodged the swing and kneed John in the face. John backed off a few feed, wiping his nose. He laughed for a few seconds, "That was a good one."

Jaune smiled and nodded. He then charged fast and began his counter attack. Instead of enhancing his sword, he put the glow over his arms and legs to make them move faster. John was actually having a hard time keeping up with him.

Just as John looked like he was being over powered, he overcharged his sword and stabbed the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked Jaune back a few feet. He was pushed back so hard and fast that he had to use his sword to slow him down, before he could hit the wall.

John charged fast with his sword glowing, Jaune made his glow right as the swords clashed. When the glowing blades touched, it made the sound of energy discharging, along with screeching sounds.

"He really has improved." Weiss said with amazement in her eyes.

"Wait till you see him on the battle field." Coco said with a wink towards Yang.

Up at the Press Box, Elrond was watching the fight, his eyebrows raised at the sight of how this _new_ Star Knight was faring against one who has been training his whole life. "Impressive."

"What did I tell you? He's an Arc." Qrow said as he drank from his flask.

"The battle's not over yet." Elrond said as he looked to the score board.

John's aura level: **60%**

Jaune's aura level: **58%**

Jaune pushed John off him to break the sword lock and then charged forward, trying to catch John off balance. John was able to get his sword up in time to block Jaune's attack.

John swung his sword, making Jaune block and lower his sword, then punched Jaune with his free hand. Jaune backed up a few steps, he didn't expect that. He looked to John as he smiled, "Now we're even, eh?"

John nodded as he continued his attack. Jaune then spun fast while swinging his sword with one hand and then swung it around fast, like he did with the Ursa at the Beach. John was able to block the big swing, but the following strikes were hard to block.

Jaune was swinging so fast that John was getting hit a few time as he was blocking. His aura level was dropping fast: **59%... 56%... 52%**. He could feel it. He made an attempt to make another shock wave like before, but Jaune kicked him in the gut before he could pull it off.

John fell back but then flipped backwards and stood up, fast. It would appear, even in armor, he can move as freely as he would without it, Jaune was the same. The armor plates were big, but they were small enough to be spaced out, and strong enough to still protect them.

John and Jaune charged at each other again and went into another glowing blade-lock. They were both using their energy by just holding each other back. John's level may have been lower, but Jaune's was going down faster.

John: **50%... 45%... 36%...**

Jaune: **55%... 49%... 37%...**

"COME ON, JAUNE! YOU CAN BEAT HIM!" Ruby shouted.

"KICK THIS GUY'S BUTT!" Nora shouted, Ren had to put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from jumping again.

Jaune and John were both struggling to hold the lock. Jaune felt dizzy, while John was feeling weak. They both pushed off each other and each backed off from the other. They both took in a few breaths and then looked to the score board.

John: **10%**

Jaune: **10%**

They both looked at each other, it was as if they both knew what the other was thinking in this exact moment. They nodded to each other, then they charged at each other one more time, with all they had left. The glowing sword clash made a bright light that blinded everyone again, and this time made a shock wave that blew a large gust of wind in all directions.

Ruby and Nora were both pushed back into their chairs. Yang lost all her popcorn. Weiss' drink exploded in her face. Blake held onto her ribbon in an effort to keep it from flying it away. Ren had to close his eyes from the bright light. Coco held onto her hat. Velvet pulled her ears down. Fox was holding onto his chair for dear life. Yatsu helped Fox not fly away. Sun and Neptune were crossing their fingers; most likely they made a few bets themselves.

As the light faded, the dust settled, everyone could see that both knights were still standing. They both stood up straight and looked to the score boards.

John: **0%**

Jaune: **2%**

The whole crowd was quiet, they were unsure of how John would respond to this. John smiled at Jaune and grabbed the arm that wasn't holding the sword and held it up, "YOUR VICTOR!"

The whole crowed cheered to Jaune's victory. Jaune looked to the cheering crowd and started to smile. He then saw Pyrrha right in front of him, she was smiling and clapping.

This made him smile more as he then held his sword up in victory. John did the same.

Up at the Press Box, Qrow was drinking out of his flask, "Like I said before. He's an Arc."

"Yes. Indeed." Elrond said with a smile.

* * *

(Main court yard of Rivendell)

Dinner time came and the whole company was gorging. Cheering Jaune's name in his victory in the duel. The only one's not sharing this feast was Jaune and John, themselves.

They took a walk around Rivendell, they were talking about how they were trained, even comparing scars to one another. Then Jaune notice Qrow talking with Elrond, he wasn't happy.

Form the distance, Jaune could still hear them clearly.

"Of course I was going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right moment. And to be honest I think you can trust that I know what I'm doing." Qrow said, he sounded defensive.

"Do you?" Elrond asked. "That dragon has stayed in Vale because it has what it wants. What would happen if Jaune were to take it away from it. What then."

"It won't come to that. I know it." Qrow said. "And what if we succeed in our mission? If we take back Beacon and the city of Vale, the kingdom can get back on its feet. And our defenses in the central continent will be strengthened."

"It's too dangerous, Qrow." Elrond said.

"It's also dangerous if we do nothing. And that's exactly what we've been doing for two years, and what good has that done us, huh?" Qrow asked with slight anger in his voice. "Besides, this is Jaune's duty as a Star Knight. Are you really going to keep him from fulfilling his duty? What are you afraid of?"

"Don't pretend that you've forgotten _why_ Smaug went to Beacon and not simply fly away after he woke up." Elrond said with a serious look in his eyes. "A strain of madness plagues any who go into those caves. If Jaune were to go there, you will be risking our only chance to destroy the Dark Maiden. Can you swear on the world of Remnant, that Jaune won't succumb to the same madness, as those before who have fallen before?"

* * *

Jaune didn't understand what they were taking about, "What is he talking about?"

"Oh, I thought you already knew." John said. Jaune turned to him for the answer, "Then again, it was a dark chapter in Vale's history. They say it's what caused the Great War between the kingdoms. It was a gift to the people of vale from a fifth country, from the continent of Mimar. Their Queen, Salem, gave it to the king of Vale as a peace offering. The first name it was given was the 'Arkenstone'. It was later called the Corruption-Stone."

Jaune started to feel as if he heard this story before. But it was still new to him at the same time. John continued, "Not long after the king of Vale had it, he started to change. He became stronger and smarter than before, it was as if it was giving him power. But then it had a effect on his mind; when before he valued his friendships and his honor above all else, he started to become paranoid and cruel."

"And that's when the 'Mad King' was over throne by Vale's council." Jaune said.

"Yup. Once the truth came out about how the Arkenstone was the cause of the war, they removed it from the King's vault and placed it in the crystal caves that Beacon was built over. Once Salem's kingdom was destroyed, and the stone hidden away, the war ended." John finished.

"Why would they build the school over the caves?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe it was to hide it? I mean, no one would think to find such a weapon under a school." John said.

"Well, I guess Smaug did." Jaune said as he looked back to Qrow and Elrond and found that they were both gone.

"You know, they may try to keep you from leaving." John said.

"I know." Jaune said as he turned back to John.

"Come with me." John said as he pulled Jaune with him as they ran to the dormitories.

* * *

Qrow and Elrond walked to meeting room that had no walls and a view of the whole valley.

"It is not up to me or you to redraw the map of Remnant." Elrond said as he and Qrow were walking up to one of the balconies that had a great view of the valley below.

"With or without our help, Jaune will go to Beacon. He is determined to not only to slay the dragon, but to kill the Dark Maiden as well." Qrow said. "Technically, as a Star Knight, Jaune isn't answerable to anyone. Nor for that matter, am I."

"It isn't me you must answer to." Elrond said as he looked on ahead.

Qrow looked ahead to find Glynda Goodwitch standing before him. She was just as beautiful as she remembered. "Glynda! So glad you could make it." He walked up to her and gave her a hug, she returned the hug.

Once they let go, Glynda had a sort of guilty look on her face, "I didn't come alone, Qrow."

"You've been busy, my friend." A man to Qrow's right said.

Qrow looked to find a man with pure white hair, white beard, wearing a white cloak and held in his left hand a cane with a White Diamond Dust shard at the top. "Saruman." Qrow then looked back to Glynda, "Is the tin-man here too?"

"Ironwood couldn't come; he said the perimeter needed his full attention." Glynda said.

Both Qrow and Saruman sat at the table in the center of the room. "Tell me, Qrow... Did you think these plans and schemes of yours would go unnoticed?" Saruman asked.

Qrow looked shocked to hear him ask that, "Schemes? Me? Never. I'm just trying to help my late friend's son fulfill his duty."

"This is all about the dragon. And Cinder Fall." Glynda said in defense of Qrow.

"Yes. Smaug, at the moment, owes elegance to no one. But if he should side with the _enemy_..." Qrow said.

"What 'enemy'?" Saruman cut Qrow off. "Qrow, the _enemy_ has been defeated for over 90 years. Salem may still make Grimm but she's been underground for over 80 years now. If she has surfaced, we would have known about it."

"Are you sure?" Qrow asked. Everyone looked to him for a follow up on that question. "Doesn't strike as odd to anyone that a simple woman, who had no training with any of the combat schools or academies, was able to overpower a Fall Maiden. With little more than two pawns at her side. And then to _STEAL_ her power away for herself? And you call that coincidence? I don't buy it."

Both Elrond and Saruman had a look on their face that they both had the same feeling, but didn't want to believe it. Glynda had already knew the truth, but she couldn't convince the others until Qrow could explain everything. Elrond was the one to break the silence, "Yes, what happened to Beacon was a tragedy, but before that, we had over 80 years of pease. A hard-won, watchful peace."

"Really? For the sake of the argument, let's put Beacon aside for the moment. Trolls are coming down form the mountain and attacking farms and small villages, Grimm hoards are getting bigger and more dangerous. And the White Fang are becoming more formidable and organized. You call this _peace_?" Qrow demanded.

"Hardly a prelude to war. None that every kingdom in Remnant should get involved in." Elrond said.

"You always look for trouble don't you?" Saruman said.

"There's more." Glynda said, she gave Qrow a nod that meant for him to continue.

"There is something else out there beyond Smaug, or even Cinder. Something more powerful. You can ignore it all you want, but it won't ignore us." Qrow said.

"Yes... A sickness has been growing over the Greenwood Forest." Glynda said.

"Now days, the woodsmen call it Mircwood. And some say..." Qrow was about to continue but he felt that what came next, neither Elrond nor Saruman would believe him.

"What? What do the woodsmen say?" Saruman asked.

"There is talk of a Necromancer living in Dol Guldur. Someone who has the ability to summon the dead." Qrow said.

"That's impossible... No one has the power to do such things, not for over 90 years." Saruman said. "All the ancient text that had those spells were burned a long time ago. This 'Necromancer', is nothing more than a mortal man with small parlor tricks."

"That's what I thought too, but Radagast said-" Qrow was cut off by Saruman.

"Radagast? Do not speak to me of Radagast the Brown." Saruman said.

Glynda rolled her eyes at what Saruman said, and Elrond simply put his palm to his head.

"I know he's odd, I mean he lives alone in the woods." Qrow said.

"It's not that. It's his constant consumption of mushrooms. They've addled his brain and yellowed his teeth." Saruman said.

He then continued to ramble on about what he thought of Radagast. Qrow looked to Glynda and held up a wrapped object on his lap. She recognized the shape the object was inside the wrappings, her eyes widened in horror. Qrow placed the object on the table in the middle of the room.

"What is that?" Elrond asked.

"Radagast found it in Dol Guldur." Qrow said as he pointed at it.

"It's a relic of darkness." Glynda said with fear in her voice.

Elrond hesitantly opened the cloth and revealed the object to be a black short-sword. The blade was curved with small red markings along the blade. The handle was black and silver, and on the bottom was a red colored snowflake. "The Morgul Blade..." Elrond said with both anger and fear in his voice.

"One of the weapons of the first Dark Maiden... 'The Winter Witch'." Glynda said, "It was buried with her..."

Everyone looked to Glynda as she continued, "When she was slain by the Star Knight of Atlas, the soldiers buried her body, and all of her belongings, in the mountains of Rudaur. And as the years went on with other Maidens and Knights falling to darkness, that tomb became darker. So dark, no light could reach it."

"This is impossible. There are ancient spells on the doors of all those tombs... They _cannot_ be opened." Elrond emphasized his statement enough.

"What proof do we have that this came from the Witch's grave?" Saruman asked.

"I have none." Qrow said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Because there isn't any." Saruman said. "Let's look at what we know: lately the Grimm have become more aggressive, as we all know, the has been happening for a long time. A sword from a forgotten age has been found. And a human sorcerer, who calls himself the Necromancer, has taken up residence in Dol Guldur."

"That's not all. Radagast found something else at Dol Guldur." Qrow then pulled out the broken glasses he was given.

Glynda garbed them and looked at them closely, then looked to Qrow with desperation, "Are you saying...?"

"There is a chance, yes." Qrow said.

"What chance? Come on, you two. We've been looking for Ozpin for over two years, you think just because his glasses were found in a ruined fortress means the he's there?" Saruman asked with his pessimistic voice.

"If there's a chance that Ozpin is there, we need to act on it." Qrow said.

"We cannot risk it." Elrond said. "If what you are telling us is true, we need to ready our boarders for what's coming, not go head first, looking for a battle."

"So you're just going to leave him there to die!?" Glynda shouted, she then realized what she said and turned away. "I'm sorry."

Qrow walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and hugged him.

"You should not give Glynda hope where there is none." Saruman said. "Which is more than I can say for Mr. Arc."

Qrow let go to turn to Saruman, "What does that supposed to mean?"

"You are blinded by your friendship to the boy's late father, that you cannot see that he is not ready to be a Star Knight." Saruman said.

"He is just as capable as his father was when he was at that age." Qrow said.

"But Jonah wasn't unstable." Saruman said.

Qrow looked away. Both Glynda and Elrond were curious as to what he meant by 'unstable'.

"Ever since the Fall of Beacon, Jaune Arc's mental state has been erratic. He shouldn't be on this kind of mission, let alone leading it." Saruman said.

"I found that he was quite capable in the arena not too long ago." Elrond said in Jaune's defense.

"But the loss of his partner has put him into a depression. He may not show it now, but he still holds onto the pain." Saruman said.

"Although I did not agree with Ruby Rose's decision to making him leader, I will stand by it." Glynda said with her arms crossed.

"So do I." Qrow said.

"Of course you would, you've always had a soft spot for your nieces." Saruman said as he rolled his eyes.

Just as Saruman was about to continue; one of the Rivendell staff walked up to the group, "Headmaster Elrond. Jaune Arc and his company... They are gone."

* * *

(Outskirts of Vacuo)

A few miles from Rivendell, the company was driving on the road out of the city of Vacuo. John was ahead of them and stopped. Once they all stopped, John dismounted and gave Jaune a map.

"You follow this map exactly," John pointed to an 'X' on the map, "once you reach these coordinates by nightfall, you should be out of Vacuo's radar."

Jaune took the map, "Why are you helping us?"

"You're a good man, Jaune. And you lost something at Beacon... I'm just trying to help you get it back, however I can." John said with a smile.

They both shook hands.

"Good luck." John said.

"Thanks. You too." Jaune said.

John rode off on his bike, back to Rivendell.

Jaune rode up to the passenger side, of the now fully fixed and upgraded _Grizzly_ , and knocked on the door. Velvet opened the door and Jaune spoke, "Sun, you know Vacuo. We'll need you navigating up front." Jaune then looked to Velvet, "Sorry."

She smiled in understanding; Sun jumped out of the back door and sat in the passenger seat. "SWEET!" Jaune handed him the map, "Lead on."

The _Grizzly_ drove off first; Jaune started his engine and then saw that Yang was looking back at Rivendell. She was worried about her uncle.

"Don't worry, Yang. If anyone can BS his way out of anything, it's Qrow." Jaune said as he revved up his engine.

Yang looked to him, smiled and nodded. They both then rode off after the _Grizzly_.

* * *

(Back at Rivendell)

Glynda and Qrow were standing at a balcony, watching the sun set.

"Will you keep up with them, or are they on their own now?" Glynda asked.

"I'll catch up. But I called in someone who will help them till I do." Qrow said. "If I find Ozpin is alive, I will bring him home."

"Let me know when you find him, and I will come to help." Glynda said with a sad yet hopeful voice. Qrow as about to walk away before Glynda stopped him, "Qrow... Do you truly believe Jaune will overcome the temptation of teh Arkenstone?" There was doubt in her voice.

Qrow turned to her, "I'm not sure. But I'm willing to let him try. He may yet surprise all of us."

"But the real reason why he went on this mission is to kill Smaug and Cinder." Glynda said.

"He wants justice, who are we to stop him?" Qrow asked.

"He doesn't want _justice_ , he want's _revenge_." Glynda said.

"These days... what's the difference?" Qrow said as he left Glynda on the balcony alone.

* * *

 **AN: I have been waiting a long time to write this one.**  
 **This chapter gives you a little more insight of the legend I made.  
More will be explained as the story continues.**

 **Can't wait to write the next chapter... Wish me luck!**


	8. Dangers of the Mountains and Down, Down,

**Dangers of the Mountains and Down, Down, Down in Goblin Town**

* * *

 **AN: I want to make something clear in case I confused any of you.  
When Jaune and John fought in their duel, the reason why their aura levels dropped so fast is because their powers were equal to each other, but Jaune was able to outlast John.  
That's what it looks like when two Star Knights are against each other, but when they fight those that aren't Star Knights, that's a different matter entirely.  
You'll see when Jaune fights enemies that aren't as strong as him in the up coming chapters.**

* * *

(New Year's Eve: 4 Days Away)

It took them a whole day to get outside the Vacuo boarders. In the hope to save them time, Jaune led the team through the mountains as a detour, instead of having to go around. They spent another day driving through the mountain roads. What was strange to Jaune was that the roads started to become more broken and ruined. Eventually there was no road at all, but a dirt path.

A storm rolled in fast and started lighting up the sky. Jaune knew the Grizzly would be just a big lightning rod in this storm, so he asked Nora to be a sort of 'lightning sponge'. She didn't mind the idea; she just didn't like the idea of being out in the rain.

Jaune and Yang got the worst of it because they were the only ones that had to be outside. They had their rain coats on, but it wasn't cutting it. Jaune took up the front to be the guide though the dirt road. Yang rode behind to make sure that nothing would come up from behind and surprise them.

Every so often, a lightning strike would head for the Grizzly, but Nora would hold her hammer high, absorb the lightning, and then sit back down and wait for the next one. This went on for about three hours. Nora started to feel a little queasy. "Jaune, I can't keep absorbing all these lightning bolts. It's starting to hurt." Nora said through her radio.

Jaune stopped and looked to her, "Is there a way to relieve the pain?"

"Yeah, I use the power I have built up." Nora said with an obvious voice.

"Ok." He said as he turned back around, "Try to use it up without using up your grenades."

Nora looked to the mountain side and started to smile. "Got it."

"Don't. Swing. You're. Hammer. Against. The. Mountain." Jaune said without even looking.

"But you said-" Nora started to sound bummed.

"If you use all that energy you're storing up, you'll shatter the whole mountain." Jaune stopped again, making everyone else stop. "Just put it all into _one_ grenade, and aim for the sky."

"Now that I can do." Nora said with a smile as she turned her hammer into the grenade launcher mode. She pointed it up at the sky, filled the grenade with almost all the energy she absorbed and shot straight up.

The resulting explosion caused the clouds overhead to part and a loud bang rang through the mountain range. Jaune looked up to see that there was a hole in the storm now. He could see the stars.

The ground started to shift; the crew that was in the _Grizzly_ could feel the tank shift left and right. Rocks started to fall from the top of the mountain. Weiss grabbed the radio, "Nora! What did you do?!"

"I did what Jaune said!" Nora shouted back in the radio.

Jaune looked to the distance and saw what looked like a giant bolder heading right for the mountain. The moment the bolder collided with the face of the mountain the road shifted again. Jaune talked through the radio, "That wasn't Nora! There's something out there!"

Another loud crash happened and more rocks fell from the top of the mountain. Fox climbed up to the front of the Grizzly, looked out the window and saw something in the distance. "Oh my god... The legends are true."

"What legends?" Yatsu asked.

Fox pointed out the window and pointed out a large, human shaped, rock formation, it was moving. "Stone Giants." Fox said with his voice filled with awe.

One of the giants threw a massive bolder right over them, hitting the mountain again. Jaune looked down to see the walls move, small sections of the walls were coming off the side of the mountain, as if they were legs.

"DRIVE!" Yang shouted on the radio.

Jaune revved up and rode off the giant's leg and back onto the road. He looked back to see that the leg had left the mountain side already, the Grizzly was still on it.

Yang was stuck on a small patch of road that was between the two holes the legs were once a part of. Yang stood there looking around for a way across but couldn't find it. Jaune looked in fear of the _Grizzly_ , still on the massive giant's leg.

Nora tried her best to hold onto the _Grizzly_ as the giant was walking. As the giant turned to face another, Yatsu could see a wide area on the road, big enough for the Grizzly to drive onto and stop in time before hitting the mountain wall. The problem was the gap between the mountain and the giant's foot was too big for the _Grizzly_ to make it.

Nora saw the same opportunity, and jumped off the tank and walked to it's back. "Everyone hold on. Yatsuhashi, be ready to reach the mountain." Nora said into her radio.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked.

"Just hold on. I have an idea." Nora said as she turned her grenade launcher into her hammer and got ready to swing.

Yatsuhashi had a rear-camera turned on and could see what Nora was doing, "Oh, no. HOLD ON!" he shouted as he gripped the steering wheel tight. Everyone else in the tank gripped their seats tight in response.

Nora cocked her hammer back, then, with what was left of the power she stored up, she swung her hammer. She hit the rear of the tank, launching it like a baseball.

Yang and Jaune saw the tank get launched further down the road from them. Yang revved her engine and gunned it. Right as she was in the hole between the road, she shot both her gauntlets, in rapid-fire, straight down to keep her from missing. She lands just a few feet from Jaune, they both then drive on to meet up with the _Grizzly_.

Just as the tank landed on the open area, Yatsu hard turned the wheel to make it hit the wall on it's side. After the initial hit, everyone was shook up. "Is everyone ok?" Yatsu asked.

"We're ok." Ruby said.

Jaune drove up to the tank and spoke through the radio, "Where's Nora?"

Yatsu only looked behind Jaune as his answer. Jaune turned to find a massive battle between two stone giants, and he saw Nora still on the first giant's leg.

Nora was holding onto the side of the giant's leg. She looked exhausted, all her power spent in sending her friends to safety.

Jaune didn't even think, he jumped off his bike, made his legs glow bright. His legs started to move faster and push down on the ground harder, hard enough to make it crack with every step. He jumped off the ledge and flew to the giant's leg.

Once he landed, he moved to Nora, while holding onto the rock that was the giant's leg, as it was still fighting the other giant.

Ren opened the hatch and ran outside to try and get Nora, Yang stopped him. "She's still out there!" Ren shouted.

"Jaune's getting her, stay here!" Yang yelled back, mostly because the storm was so loud that she had to yell for him to hear.

When Jaune reached Nora, she was out cold from exhaustion. He grabbed her, put her hammer on her back, and got ready for another run for the mountain side. His plan was stopped when the second giant punched the first so hard that it knocked it's head clean off. The first giant's body, now missing it's head, started to sway back and forth.

It turned towards the mountain and started to fall forward. Jaune was now facing the mountain side, as it started to come at them fast, or rather, they were coming at it fast. The leg that they were on collided with the mountainside.

Ren watched in horror, "NOOO!"

The leg of the giant then fell back and plummeted into the valley below, they didn't see Jaune or Nora on it when it fell.

Yang motioned Ren to hop on, he jumped on and they both drove to where the leg hit the mountain. As they got close, Ren could feel the tears coming down his face like the rain from the storm.

As they reached where the collision happened, they found nothing. Then they heard what sounded like metal cracking against rock.

"A little help down here!" they heard a voice call out.

Ren and Yang jumped off the bike and ran to the side of the road to find Jaune holding Nora in his right hand and his sword, his left hand grasping his sword, which he plunged into the mountain side, in his left. Ren couldn't help but smile.

Ren slowly made his way down to them. At the same time, the Grizzly arrived at the section of the road they were at. Neptune rode Jaune's bike up with them since he left it behind.

Ren took the unconscious Nora from Jaune; Yang then took her and laid her down on the road. Ren then took Jaune's right hand and helped him up. Once Jaune could hold himself on the side of the mountain, he pulled his sword out of the rock and sheathed it. Both he and Ren then climbed back onto the road.

Once they reached the road, Nora was already put into the Grizzly to be treated.

"Jaune, we can't stay out here! We need shelter!" Yang shouted through the roar of the storm.

"Agreed! Lets keep moving forward and hope there's a cave!" Jaune said as he got back on his bike.

* * *

Ren was holding Nora's right hand while Blake was seeing how she was.

She started to smile, she put a hand on Ren's shoulder, "She's going to be fine. She just needs rest." Ren started to smile.

"We all need rest." Fox said.

"Lets hope there's a tunnel close by then." Coco said as she moved so that she could see out the front.

* * *

After a few minutes of driving down the road, Jaune could see a hole in the side of the mountain. He dismounted and looked inside first. There was nothing inside at all, and it was dry. The inside was large enough for the _Grizzly_ to fit inside, along with their bikes. Jaune walked back out and motioned for Yatsu to move inside.

After everyone was inside the cave, they all exited the tank. "Ok, lets get a fire started." Yang suggested.

"No. Not in here. Just get some sleep. We'll leave when the storm passes. I'll take first watch." Jaune said.

Nobody argued, they were all exhausted. One by one, they all fell asleep in their own spots in the cave.

Before going to sleep, Ren walked up to Jaune, "Thank you... For saving her."

"We're all getting through this together." Jaune said as he held his arm out.

Ren then grabbed Jaune's forearm, Jaune did the same for Ren's. Ren then walked over to Nora and laid down next to her, as if it was natural to her, she shifted her body so that she would lay her head on his chest. Ren could have sworn that he saw a smile on her face.

Jaune couldn't help but smirk at his teammates finding peace in such chaos as this storm. He looked back out to the cave entrance; the storm didn't look like it was going to let up soon. He walked over to the side of the entrance and sat down, keeping watch for his company.

* * *

Just outside the entrance into the mountain pass that Jaune and his company had used, there was Cinder and her hunting party.

"Are you sure they went into the mountain pass?" Cinder asked one of the White Fang agents.

"Yes. They went into the pass and headed north. They will eventually end up here." The agent said.

"You want to follow them through?" Mercury asked.

"No, where's the fun in that?" Cinder asked with a devious smile. "Lets cut through the valley and cut them off before they leave the mountains. This place will be Ruby Rose's tomb!"

Cinder's truck drove through the valley with all the other vehicles following behind. The Grimm under their command followed and ran side by side with the trucks. Some Grimm from the valley started to follow them, making the hoard even larger as they moved through the roots of the mountains.

* * *

It's been two hours since everyone fell asleep, Jaune was having a little bit of difficulty of staying awake. Right as he was starting to doze off, he started to see images of destruction. People in panic and running from the Grimm. Then he saw her... Cinder. She shot Pyrrha in the chest with her glass arrow. Pyrrha fell down dead with fear in her eyes.

"NOOO!" Jaune shouted. He tried to run at her but couldn't move at all.

Cinder faced Jaune, with a devious and evil smile. "You failed her..." She slowly walked up to Jaune and grabbed him by the throat with her left hand, "What hope do you have to save Vale... if you couldn't even save the woman you loved?" Cinder held her right hand a glass knife and then stabbed Jaune in the chest.

Jaune then snapped back to reality. He looked around to see that he was still in the cave. He felt his forehead and found that he was sweating. _"It was just a dream... It was just a dream."_

Blake was having a hard time sleeping. Even though they were deep in the cave, thanks to her cat ears, she could still hear the storm outside. Then she started to hear a low hum. It shifted to different tones, she could hear a melody. She lifted her head, she looked to see where the sound was coming from, it was Jaune.

She stood up, slowly, and walked over to him as he continued to hum. The hum sounded very sad yet it had a sense of hope. Jaune noticed her and stopped humming.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Jaune said.

"You didn't. I can't sleep." Blake said as she sat down across from him to the entrance of the cave. "What song is that? I've never heard it before."

"It's a song that one of the Vale Sky Knights composed. It was made two years ago, after Beacon fell. I think he called it, 'Far over, the Beautiful Beacon'." **(Yes, it's the 'Misty Mountains' song.)** Jaune said. "I could never get the lyrics right... but humming the tone always calms me down... especially after a nightmare."

Blake could see the sweat on his face, "You want to talk about it?"

"No." He was hesitant, but he tried to sound that he was okay. _"Let's change the mood."_ "So... I know we're still technically young for our ages... But if you could relive a moment in your past, for the first time again, what would it be?"

Blake was surprised he asked such a thing. She gave it a long thought, then she had it. "You're going to say it's cheesy." She said with a half-smile.

"Take it from someone who spent most of the first semester trying to get Weiss to notice him in the cheesiest ways. I think I can take what you have to say." He said with a slight laugh.

"I'd pick the day we got our teams." Blake said.

"Really?" Jaune asked with an interested look.

"Yeah. It was fun meeting everyone for the first time. And I really looked forward to our future as hunters." Blake said, she lowered her eyes after that last statement. She then looked back up to Jaune, "You?"

"The first day of the Festival. When my team had our first battle. Not to mention a great dinner with our friends." He chuckled a little. "You _really_ liked those fish."

She started to smile too. Jaune's smile started to fade, "I miss those days... Back when we were at peace." He then stood up, facing the entrance to the cave, "I mean, sure we were at war with the Grimm, but we, as the people of Remnant, weren't at war with each other." He smiled a little, "I use to look at this world and think how things could get any better..." He stood up to face the storm, still raging outside, and then he sighed; "Now I can't stop thinking about how the world can get any worse."

"Things always get worse before they get better, Jaune." Blake said as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

Jaune started to smile a little as Blake started to remind him of how Pyrrha comforted him. He turned around, "I know, but it still hurts seeing our world like this." Blake gave him a small hug in an attempt to help him feel better, she remembered when Yang once did that for her, so she decided to do the same for him. Jaune smiled, "You're a good friend, Blake."

"I'm here if you need me, Jaune. We _all_ are." She returned his smile with her own. Her smiled vanish when she started to hear something.

Jaune notice her bow twitch and knew that she heard something, "What is it? What do you hear?"

"It sounds like... locks." Blake's eyes widened.

They both look down to see that the ground was beginning to crack. "EVERYONE! Wake up!" Jaune yelled.

Everyone started to spring up. "PANCAKES!" Nora shouted as she jumped off the floor.

Just as Ren was about to ask what was wrong, the ground caved in on everyone.

* * *

Everyone was falling down a tunnel, like a slide. One by one they landed in a large prison cell. Just as they all tried to stand up, their weapons were pulled from their hands and stuck to a large magnet above their heads. Yang was pulled up by her synthetic arm; she had to disconnect her arm from the prosthetic to land back on the ground.

As everyone was trying to get a handle on the situation, they look outside their cell to find grotesque creatures staring at them. Weiss was the first to react to how disgusting they looked and backed up form the cell.

"What the hell are those things!?" Weiss asked in horror.

"Goblins." Blake said.

"Goblins... You mean they're real?" Sun asked.

"What are Goblins?" Ruby asked with her hand raised.

"In the early years of the kingdoms, back when Faunus were treated worse than they are now, there were factions that ran to the mountains for safety." Blake explained.

"You're saying these monsters are Faunus?" Weiss asked.

"Not anymore." Velvet said. "They've stayed too long underground that they became more like the animals they resembled."

"Uh, what kind of animals are we talking 'bout here?" Coco asked.

"Rats, bats, and mice. Mostly rodents." Sun said.

One of the creatures growled at Sun when he said 'rodent'. A tall one that had rat like teeth walked up to the cell door. "Take them to see the king. Bring their stuff with them to be appraised."

Everyone, especially Blake, Sun and Velvet, were surprised when the goblin spoke. They thought that they lost almost all intelligence to speak after being apart from the outside world for so long.

The goblins opened the door and grabbed everyone, pulling them along the corridor till they reached an open cavern. Jaune was surprised that the whole mountain was practically hollowed out by these creatures. There were a lot of structures in the cavern, made of wood.

"Take the vehicles to the workshop to be 'modified'." One of the goblins ordered.

The goblins continued to drag the company through their 'city' and to a large open area, in the center was a large platform and a creature sitting on a throne. It was twice the size of Yatsuhashi, taller and a lot wider. It had a crown on its head, and held a staff with a bull's skull on it, most likely the 'king' the goblin spoke of.

As they were getting closer, the king flicked his fingers, "I feel a song... coming on." The goblins on the walls started to pound on pots and pans to make music. The king started to dance a little as he sang.

"Clap! Slap! the black crack!

Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!

Batter and beat

Make 'em stammer and squeak!

Pound pound, far underground

Down, down, down in Goblin Town"

"Down, down, down in Goblin Town" the other goblins sang.

This continued for a few minutes till they were done, by the time they finished the song, the whole company was on the platform with the king.

"Catchy isn't it? It's one of my own compositions." the king said with a smile as he sat back down on his throne.

"That was an abomination." Weiss said, she was insulted to say the least.

"'Abominations'. 'Mutations'. 'Deviations'. That's all you're going to find down here." The king said as he gestured to the whole cavern.

The goblins then dropped everyone's weapons; Yang's arm was among the pile.

The king jumped off his throne, "Who would be so bold as to come armed into _my_ kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Hunters, your malevolence." One of the goblins said.

"Hunters?" The king asked, he wasn't expecting this.

"We found them in one of our cave traps. We even got a score of a few vehicles." Another goblin said.

"Well, don't just stand there. Search them all!" the king demanded.

The goblins gabbed everyone's bags and emptied a few, when they unloaded Sun's bag silverware fell to the ground, along with a few candle stands. One of the goblins picked it up, "It would seam, your great protuberance... that they are in league with Vacuo!"

The king looked at the bottom of the candle stand, "'Made in Rivendell'. Ugh, one decade old, couldn't give it away." The king threw it over the side into the hole below, as if it was trash.

Everyone then looked to Sun; he had an innocent look on his face, "It was just a few souvenirs."

"What are you doing in these parts?" The king asked.

"Well you see," Neptune spoke up. "We were on our way to our home in Vale and we wanted to cut through the mountains because we thought it was faster." The best part was that he wasn't even lying that much to him.

"Well that's too bad. Because any who enter my kingdom without my permission are sentenced to death!" The King said with a slight smile, "A most gruesome death, I might add."

As everyone was struggling, one of them caught the king's eye, "WAIT!" He then pointed in the center of the group, "You... Grab the one with the red hood." he ordered the goblins.

One of them pulled Ruby out of the group and held her by her arm. The king's eyes widened, "So it is true. Red hood, silver eyes... You are Ruby Rose."

"How do you know me?" Ruby was clueless as to why he would know her.

"HAHA! Well, you see little las. There is a quite large bounty on your head..." The king moved his head close to hers as he continued, "A bounty made by a mutual friend of ours, you may know her as the one who uses glass as a weapon, and has a flaming red dress."

The king then took a few steps back and waited to see if Ruby knew who he was talking about.

"Cinder..." Ruby whispered.

The king smiled and looked to a goblin on a zip-line, "Contact the Maiden, tell her I found her prize." The goblin on the zip-line nodded and went down the zip-line while laughing.

"Ah, good the party favors have arrived." The king said as he looked behind the rest of the company, what they saw were very harsh torture devices. The King started to sing again and dance like before.

As one of the goblins was holding Jaune's sword, still in its sheath, it drew the sword out and screamed. It dropped the sword and backed away from it, for some reason, every goblin in the area was afraid of it, even the king. He stopped singing and backed away from the sword as if it was going to kill him, "I know that sword, it's _'Crocea Mors'_! The blade that slashed of a thousand throats!"

The king looked to the company with hate in his eyes, he didn't care who it belonged to, the fact that they had it was enough to make him want them dead now. "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" He then looked to Ruby, "BRING ME HER HEAD!"

A goblin jumped on Ruby, a knife in its hand; it raised its arm to cut her neck first. Just as the goblin was about to stab Ruby, a bright red light shined in the center of the platform. When the light shined a massive shockwave hit everyone and made them fall on their backs.

As the light faded, there was a silhouette of a woman holding a long sword. There was a second figure; it was a man holding a massive scythe. Yang sat up first to see the woman and knew immediately who it was, "Mom?"

"Take up arms. Get up!" The man said. Everyone looked to them both, the man was Qrow. The woman in the back and red dress and white Grimm mask yelled at them to get up, "FIGHT!"

Everyone pushed the goblins off of them and reached for the pile of weapons they left for them. Everyone grabbed their weapons and started to attack the goblins. Yang grabbed her hand and locked it back on her right arm then grabbed her other gauntlet form the pile and started blasting goblins off the platform.

The goblin king looked to the woman with fear in his eyes, "It's the Red Samurai! And the Crow Reaper!"

Nora swung her hammer against the goblin king, knocking him off the platform as well. Everyone else started cutting down and killing any goblin that attacked them. After decapitating one of the goblins that was about to attack Yang from behind, Raven spoke, "Follow me! We need to go now!"

"We need our vehicles!" Weiss said to the woman.

Qrow pointed to a tunnel, "This way."

"Don't fall behind," the woman said as they made their way down the tunnel.

* * *

The company was running through the tunnels of Goblin Town, cutting down any goblin that got in their way. They ran in a column to keep from being spread out and to not get lost in the fight. While Qrow, Jaune and Raven were in front, the rest of the group were by twos, Ruby and Weiss, Blake and Yang, Velvet and Yatsuhashi, Fox and Coco, Neptune and Sun, and Ren and Nora. As they were running there were goblins coming from out of the walls to their left, the higher platforms above them, and the other platforms to their right of the tunnel.

Ruby swung her scythe and cut a few in half, and shot at a few that were on another platform that were firing arrows at them from a distance. Weiss slashed a few and froze the ground of a bridge that intersected with their path. Some of the goblins slipped off and fell.

Blake used both her sword and sheath to cut down any goblin that attacked them form the side of their column. Some arrows came at Blake, but she was able to block them with her sword. Yang shot and punched a lot of goblins that came at them form any of the intersecting bridges. She even smashed a few bridges in the process.

Yatsuhashi broke a few bridges that lead to the walkway they were on, making some goblins fall to their deaths. Some big goblins with big swords came down from above and tried to attack him, he swung his blade and knocked them away with ease. Coco swung her bag at any that any that got too close to her. She couldn't open and fire her mini-gun and move.

Velvet and Fox saw that there were goblins swinging in on ropes. Velvet noticed that there was a platform connected to the walk way that could block them. "Cut the ropes!" Velvet said to Fox since they were on the same side of the column. She made a hollo-blade that looked like Blake's _'Gambol Shroud'_ as both her and Fox cut some of the ropes with her. When the ropes were cut, the platform started to fall back and catch the goblin's ropes as they were coming down, stopping some and knocking other into the darkness below.

Sun and Neptune went up a level on the platform to try and get some of the heat off the column. Sun used his gun-chucks and shot a lot of goblins as they ran. Neptune swung his Guandao at any that came from behind them.

Ren shot and slashed any goblins that tried to attack from behind. After a few feet, Nora would smash the platform behind them to keep them from following too close. She fired a few grenades at goblins that were on other platforms and blasted them to pieces.

Up front, Jaune hand his sword and shield out. He used his shield to knock any goblin that got in his way off the side, while Raven simply slashed and dismembered any that got in her way. Qrow turned his weapon into full scythe mode and swung his blade

As they reached the other side of the tunnel, they found themselves looking down a slope that had a lot of goblins coming up it fast. Jaune pressed a button on his shield and held it forward. The shield turned to have its pointed end point down Jaune's arm. He formed a barrier around the shield and then expanded it to be almost as wide as the small tunnel. He then charged with Raven and the others behind him. He plowed through the goblins like he was a boat cutting through waves. Jaune bulldozed them till they reached the end of the tunnel.

They found the goblin Workshop, lucky for them; their vehicles were untouched or 'modified' yet while they were gone. Everyone piled into the _Grizzly_ , Yatsu taking the driver seat and Blake in front. Yang and Jaune jumped on their bikes and started them up. Yang looked to Raven, "Get on!"

Without hesitating, Raven jumped on Yang's bike and held on as she opened the throttle. Qrow jumped on Jaune's bike as well. As they were leaving the 'Workshop', Raven pointed a bridge out to Yang, "That way is the way out."

As they got half way across the bridge, the goblin king came down and grabbed the two girls off their bike. He then held his foot up and stopped the _Grizzly_ in a second. Jaune almost hit the _Grizzly_ if he hadn't stopped in time. Both Jane and Qrow pulled their weapons out and held a defensive posture behind the tank.

The king threw both the girls at the Grizzly's front, he started to laugh like a mad man, "Did you honestly think you could escape _me_?" He then swung his staff at Raven in an attempt to impale her. She dodged the swing and backed up to the tank, Yang stood up next to her. "What are you going to do now, Samurai?" the king asked with an overconfident grin.

Both Yang and Raven looked to each other, and then Yang punched the king in the face. He cried in pain from the punch. Raven slashed his belly, making him put his hand over it to keep the wound from opening any further. He looked to them both and nodded his head, "That'll do it."

Raven then swung her blade and slit the king's throat. He then fell down and crashed on the bridge. The bridge's supports started to give way to the weight of the king, Jaune and Yang's bikes, as well as and the tank. The bridge broke off from the platform they were on, including the part of the bridge that Jaune and Qrow were on, and fell straight down.

The bridge broke through a few structures that were built below it till it finally slowed to a stop between two big borders, just a few feet from the ground below.

Jaune pushed his bike off of him and found that his leg was bleeding, it took a split second for his aura to heal the wound. Qrow gave him a hand to stand up. As soon as he was standing, he knocked on the back door of the tank. As the hatch opened, he found everyone in a pile in back. Nora poked her head up from the pile, "Well... That could have been worse," she said with a smile.

Then the body of the goblin king fell on the tank. The combine weight made the broken bridge shatter and fall to the bottom of the cavern. Jaune and Qrow stood back up after the second fall and looked inside to see that the pile of people had changed when they fell again. The people who were once on the bottom of the pile were now on top. "You have got to be kidding me." Coco moaned, because she was now on bottom of the pile.

Yang looked straight up to see hordes of goblins coming down from their structures. They were coming down the cave like spiders. "Guys!"

Ren looked above to see what Yang was so scared of, "There's too many, we can't fight them all."

"Only one thing will save us now... day light." Blake said.

"That way!" Raven pointed to one of the tunnels in front of them.

Jaune, Yang and Raven got on their bikes and drove to the tunnel. The Grizzly drove off the shattered bridge, the body of the goblin king fell off as they moved. With the hatch still opened, Nora stuck her tongue out and pulled down her left eyelid, "So much for the 'King of the Goblins'."

* * *

(New Year's Eve: 3 Days Away)

They made it outside and got to the sunlight before the goblins could follow. Once he was sure they were safe, Qrow patted Jaune's shoulder and told him to stop. Once all vehicles stopped, everyone got out of the _Grizzly_.

Weiss was shivering with fear, "I don't even want to imagine what they were going to do to us."

"No, you don't." Blake said as she placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

Jaune was standing there, looking at everyone and saw how they were coping with what they just went through, and then turned his attention to the woman in black and red, wearing a Grimm mask. "So... Not to sound ungrateful for saving us... but why are you here?"

Everyone looked to Jaune then to Raven with a curious look on their faces.

"Well, Mr. Arc, I came because Qrow asked me to help." Raven said.

"And you decide now to show up?" Yang said as she walked up to her.

Raven faced Yang, "I helped because in order for the plans I have for Remnant to happen, I will need your leader to succeed in his mission."

"That's all you care about, huh? Your plans for the world?" Yang asked, her eyes were starting to turn red.

"That isn't the question you are really asking, is it?" Raven asked with a calm voice.

"Ok... I'll say it! WHY DID YOU LEAVE, MOM?" Yang shouted.

Everyone's jaw dropped to the ground, minus Qrow, Ruby and Jaune. Jaune was surprised, but he didn't want to show it.

Raven took off her mask, revealing her face to everyone. She looked a lot like Yang, only she had her eyes red all the time and her hair was black. "I left because I had to."

Yang's face relaxed somewhat after she heard that.

"When you were little, I could feel that there was something wrong with this world. Like there was something coming, something dark. I discovered a way to face it, but it meant leaving you and your father." Raven lowered her face a little, there was guilt in her eyes, "For what it's worth, Yang... Leaving you and your father was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life."

"It was hard on dad, too. You could have contacted us." Yang said as her eyes changed back to blue.

"I couldn't. Or else I would have risked you both to the evil that I was facing." Raven then looked to Yang's arm, "Apparently it still reached you regardless."

"Are you talking about Cinder?" Ruby asked.

"Cinder?" Raven asked as if she was annoyed, "No, she's just a puppet in a dress. It's who she works for that I'm after." Raven then looked to Yang. "And when I followed one of her pawn's trails, it lead me back to you."

"The train... You were after Torchwick?" Yang asked.

"I was hoping he would lead me to the master, but that lead me to Cinder. And to a dead end." Raven said as she cursed herself. "But when I saw that you were in danger, I couldn't stop myself from saving you." Her eyes were full of honesty.

"If that's true... Where were you when Beacon fell, huh? Where were you when I lost my arm!" Yang's eyes started to turn red again.

"I _was_ there!" Raven said with both anger and sadness in her voice.

Yang's eyes changed back almost instantly.

"By the time I got to you, you had already lost your arm. I couldn't get close because your partner might have attacked me, so I did what I could to make sure you got out of there safely." Raven said. "I killed any Grimm that was behind your friend when she made for the evacuation point." Raven's eyes started to show anger, "I wanted to kill the man who did that to you, but he was gone by the time I went back to where he was."

"Why didn't you ever come to Patch then? Why didn't you visit?" Yang asked with some tears falling down her eyes.

"Believe me, I wanted to. But I couldn't face your father... not yet. Not after so long." Raven said with more guilt in her eyes. "And I was afraid that you never wanted to see me agai-"

Raven was interrupted when Yang hugged her hard, making her drop her Grimm mask. "Of course I wanted to see you again." Yang sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

Raven's eyes started to water, she slowly raised her hands to return Yang's hug, a small smile started to grow on her face. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."

"Then why did you give Qrow that message?" Yang asked.

"Because I wanted you to stop following me. If you kept following me, you would have gotten yourself hurt, or even killed." Raven said.

"Well, I don't need to do that anymore." Yang said with voice of relief.

Raven then looked to Ruby. Even though Ruby wasn't related to Raven, she could still think of her as a mother, so long as Yang did. Ruby looked like she was about to cry too, Raven motioned for her to join the hug, and Ruby practically slammed right into them with her super-speed. Some of the company was moved to tears at the sight of a family brought back together. The three girls hugged for about two minutes before they all let go.

Raven put her hands on both girl's shoulders, "I'm so proud of both of you for making it this far."

"You're not staying?" Ruby asked.

"I wish I could. But there are still things for me to do." Raven said with a look on her face that she hoped they would understand.

"How soon can we see you again?" Yang asked.

"Something tells me, with all that's going on, it will be very soon." Raven said with a smile towards Qrow. Qrow smiled back and nodded in agreement.

They hugged one more time and let go. Raven walked a few steps away, put on her Grimm mask, and pulled out her Red Dust blade. She gave one last look towards Ruby and Yang, "You two take care of your friends. They'll need you to protect them."

They both gave her thumbs up in agreement. Raven then swung her blade, making a big red hole in the air and walked right through it.

Once the whole disappeared, Weiss realized something, "Wait... If she had teleport blades, why didn't she just help us get to Beacon with those?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Qrow asked as he drank out of his flask.

Just as Weiss was about to say something she was stopped by the sound of howling in the distance. The howling sounded like Beowulves, a lot of them. Along with a lot of other Grimm creatures with loud roars.

"Out of the frying pan..." Jaune said with a voice of anger.

* * *

 **AN: And cliff hanger.**  
 **Sorry guys, but that fight is for another chapter. ;)**

 **Hope you guys like my little part between Raven and Yang. I've been wanting to write a scene like that for a while. Even though it might not be realistic, it's how I would have wanted it to go down.**

 **Anyway, please review if you have any questions and I will try to answer them in the next chapter.**

 **ARKOS Forever!**

 **R &R**


	9. Don't let me be late this time!

**"Don't let me be late this time!"**

* * *

 **AN: Now comes a battle I have long imagined.**

 **Cinder takes things into her own hands and may pay a price for it.**

 **Rune sesei: Thank you for such a generous review, I am honored my story is your favorite.**

 **I'd like to thank 'Nightengale4698' for being my beta-reader for this chapter, and the chapters in the future.**

* * *

"Into the fire... Run! RUN!" Qrow shouted.

The company ran into the Grizzly while Yang and Jaune jumped on their bikes. Qrow sat behind Jaune as they both rode off. The company drove at full speed down the mountain slope, following a path down to the forest below.

"How many do you see?" Jaune asked Qrow.

Qrow looked behind and saw Beowulves, Boarbatsuks, Creeps, and a new kind of Grimm that looked like a lion. "Too many." Qrow said. He then saw trucks and cyclists behind the horde, they had the White Fang symbol on them. "And they're not alone."

Jaune made a quick look and saw whom he meant, "White Fang? Not again!"

As they were driving, Yatsuhashi noticed that the path they were on was about to split into two directions. "The path splits ahead." Yatsu said into the radio.

"You guys go right, we'll take left. Yang go with them." Jaune said into the radio.

Following orders, the tank and Yang went left while Jaune and Qrow went right.

In the front White Fang truck, Mercury was in the passenger seat, Cinder was in the back seat on the driver's side, and Neo was in the back seat on the passenger's side.

"They're splitting up; the tank and blonde are going left while the knight and Branwen are going right." Mercury said.

Cinder held up her left hand to her face, she then spoke into the bracelet that looked similar to what the White Fang agent had, that let him control the Grimm. "Half of you go right and hold them off."

Almost instantly, half of the horde of Grimm split off from the main group and went after Qrow and Jaune.

"What about us?" Mercury asked.

"We are going after Rose." Cinder said with a devious smile.

* * *

(Right path.)

Jaune could hear the sound of the Grimm's growls, their breath, and could tell that they were getting closer, even though they were driving at full speed downhill. It started to make a chill crawl up his spine.

As they were continuing their descent down the mountain, they started to drive past trees, Jaune had to slow down in order not to hit one. He could hear some of the Grimm breaking trees down if they were in their way.

Qrow could hear a Beowulf right behind him, he swung his scythe and bisected it in an instant. Qrow looked to Jaune and could see that he was uneasy going downhill this fast. He then made a quick look behind and saw that the horde was smaller than before, "Jaune stop here, we can take them!"

Jaune hard turned and slid his bike on the side, using his left foot as an anchor. Jaune then quick drew his Desert Eagle and started shooting at the Grimm that was right behind them. Qrow changed his weapon to shotgun mode and started shooting along with Jaune.

They both quickly got off the bike and started cutting down Grimm left and right.

Jaune holstered his pistol and pulled out his sword and shield. First he decapitated a Beowulf, stabbed a Boarbatsuk in the head, and then he deflected a Creep, with his shield, that tried to jump on him.

Qrow first had his weapon in sword mode in his right hand, and Ozpin's cane in his left. He cut a Lion Grimm in half with his sword, blasted a Creep away with the cane, and then stabbed a Beowulf in the gut with the sword. He then put the cane on his belt and then turned his weapon into scythe mode. He swung his scythe left and right, dismembering any Grimm that got close.

They continued to cut down Grimm for about five minutes, but it felt like two for them. Once the last Grimm was killed, Jaune had a bad feeling. He looked up the hill and discovered that none of the White Fang followed them. "This was a distraction…" He whispered. Jaune then turned to Qrow with fear in his eyes, "The others!"

* * *

(Left path.)

The rest of the company continued down their path. They started to drive through a few trees, some they brushed just barely before hitting.

Yatsu then saw something bad ahead. Their path leads to a cliff. Yatsuhashi slammed on the breaks with all his might. The tank stopped just a few inches from the cliff.

"Everybody out!" Ruby ordered.

As everyone got out, Yang rode up and jumped off her bike to stand next to them. Everyone readied their weapons for their last stand.

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose in full scythe form and pointed the barrel at the Grimm. Weiss had a Red Dust shard set in Myrtenaster. Blake had Gambol Shroud in katana form, while holding her sheath at the ready. Yang pumped her Ember Celica took her boxing pose.

Nora changed Magnhild in hammer mode at the ready. Ren pulled out Storm Flower out of his sleeves and stood ready.

Sun pulled out his Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in their shotgun/nunchaku mode, one over his left shoulder, the other dangling. Neptune had his weapon in rifle mode and stood ready.

Coco had her Gatling gun pointing forward and already spinning. Velvet projected a holo-scythe from her holo-pack. Fox readied his blades out and took a battle stance. Yatsuhashi pulled his sword from his back and put it over his right shoulder.

The Grimm horde was charging at them with full force. Once the horde collided with the company it, it was a slaughterhouse, for the Grimm. Everyone engaged with all the Grimm and tore them down like grass in a field. The only problem was, more and more Grimm kept coming down the mountain like a river downhill.

Everyone was getting worn out from fighting so many Grimm for five minutes straight. After just fighting their way through a Goblin tunnel, and now straight into a battle with the Grimm, they are becoming exhausted.

Uphill, Cinder's convoy arrived in time to watch the show. All of them got out of the trucks and off the bikes. There was Cinder, Mercury, Neo, four White Fang Lieutenants, and three White Fang agents.

After killing a Beowulf, Ruby looked uphill and saw them. "Cinder," she whispered.

Everyone looked in the same direction after they heard her say Cinder's name. Then they all looked to Ruby. Ruby's eyes squinted with anger, "Team RWBY, with me. Everyone else, guard the tank."

"Give them hell." Nora said after she smashed the head of a Boarbatusk with her hammer.

RWBY charged forward, cutting down any Grimm in their way as they headed for Cinder and her group.

Mercury looked to Cinder, "What do you want us to do?"

"Pull out your scroll and start recording. When we can, we will broadcast it throughout the world, and show how weak their guardian truly is." Cinder said with a grin, and then she looked to the White Fang, "Enjoy the show boys. It'll be epic."

Cinder formed a flame beneath her feet to make herself levitate. She then moved forward fast towards RWBY. Once she was close, she unleashed a barrage of fireballs at all four of the girls.

Weiss formed an ice shield to block the fireballs, it worked at first, but then it shattered when Cinder collided with it. Cinder then kicked Weiss with her left foot, knocking her rather far.

Blake pulled out her katana and attempted to slash Cinder; Cinder simply held her hand up and caught the blade with her bare hand. Blake's eyes widened in complete shock that she caught her attack so easily. Blake tried to pull the sword out of Cinder's grasp, but she wouldn't budge.

With Cinder still looking at Blake, Yang took this opportunity to punch Cinder in the face. Cinder then pulled Blake, by her sword, and thew her at Yang. They both collided and flew through a tree a few feet away.

Ruby came down from above with her scythe in an attempt to cut Cinder in half; Cinder dodged the attack with ease and blasted Ruby with a fire ball at point blank to the chest. Ruby flew back a few feet but landed on her feet.

With Ruby in front of Cinder, and Blake behind her, Ruby saw an opportunity, " **Ladybug**!"

Blake stood up fast and charged at Cinder, Ruby charged as well. Weiss quickly got up and sent two 'Time Dilation' glyphs under both Ruby and Blake to enhance their speed.

Once they both reached their target, they swung their blades as they passed Cinder. Cinder was caught off guard by the sudden counter attack but held her ground, blocking the blades. Ruby and Blake tried the same move again, and again, and again.

Cinder was still holding her ground; when Ruby and Blake tried again, she tripped Ruby and kicked Black in the back of the head with a roundhouse kick.

Yang charged at Cinder, she first threw a few quick jabs. Cinder blocked both and blasted Yang in the chest with a fireball in the hope to push her back. Yang stood her ground and continued to try to land a blow on Cinder. Cinder blocked every punch that Yang through just as easily as Neo did on the train.

Yang started to move faster, and her hair started to glow. Cinder blasted three fireballs at Yang's chest at point blank. Yang went flying past Blake really fast.

" **Bumblebee**!" Ruby shouted, hoping to not miss this opportunity.

Blake reacted fast and shot her weapon towards Yang. Yang caught it in time before it was out of her reach. Blake pulled hard and Yang shot behind her repeatedly to speed her up.

" **Ice Flower**!" Ruby shouted as she put her scythe in the ground and pointed the barrel at Cinder. Weiss moved fast to get next to Ruby and put up her glyphs in time. Ruby fired three shots at Cinder's feet in the hopes to keep her in one place.

Right when the bullets got close to Cinder, the glow around her formed a protective fire barrier and evaporated the ice shots before they hit their marks. Cinder looked down, then back up at Ruby and Weiss with a face full of amusement. "Pathetic. You have nothing that can hurt me!"

As if on cue, Yang was flying right for Cinder at break-neck speed. Yang attempted her signature ' **Fire Fist** ' at Cinder's head. Cinder first caught Yang's fist with her left hand, grabbed Yang's neck with her right, and then slammed her into the ground making a small crater in the solid rock.

"You have heart. Too bad it's wasted on you." Cinder said with a smile, she then formed glass around Yang and incased her in a cocoon, leaving Yang's head above the glass. Cinder then slowly walked towards the others, leaving Yang behind.

Yang tried her best to break free but she was completely enveloped by it. It started to crack, but the cracks were moving too slow.

All three girls charged at Cinder all at once. Cinder formed glass shards and shot them at all three. It slowed their momentum, giving Cinder a chance to make another strike.

Cinder came up on Weiss and kicked her in the face with a foot surrounded by fire. Weiss was blasted back so far that she landed back with the company, which were still fending off the Grimm horde.

Black charged at Cinder with her katana from behind in an attempt to stab her in the back. Cinder turned fast, caught the blade and blasted Blake in the face. Blake evaded the blast with her shadow clone and escaped unharmed.

* * *

(Back where the path split.)

"Tire tracks…" Qrow said as he was looking down from the seat of Jaune's bike. "They don't belong to the _Grizzly_ or Yang's bike."

"White Fang." It was almost as if there was a large amount of heat that passed by. He felt the heat before, in the vault below the CCT tower, when he passed by Cinder. "Cinder is with them!"

He realized that they weren't the target, it must have been Ruby. Jaune revved up his engine and opened up the throttle down the path his company went down.

 _"PLEASE, GOD! PLEASE! Don't let me be late this time!"_ Jaune practically screamed in his head.

As they were making their way down the path, there were hordes of Grimm between him and his destination. Jaune plowed right through some with ease, but then one got a lucky shot on his back tire and popped it.

Both Jaune and Qrow jumped off the bike before it tumbled. Qrow pulled out his weapon and made it full scythe-mode. "GO! I'll take care of these things!"

Jaune didn't hesitate after hearing Qrow's order. He pulled out his sword and shield and slaughtered any Grimm that was dumb enough to get in his way.

* * *

(Back to the fight.)

Blake and Ruby made another attempt at ' **Lady Bug** ', but Cinder was prepared for it. This time Cinder grabbed Blake by her right arm, when they were doing one of their passes, and threw her up in into the trees above. At the same time, Cinder blasted Ruby with a large glass shard, knocking her into a tree.

Blake took this opportunity to use the trees as cover as she started shooting at Cinder. Cinder simply stood there as every bullet was melted by her fire shield. She then set ablaze to all the trees above, forcing Blake to come down.

The moment she came down, Cinder shot over a hundred glass shards at Blake. Blake blocked a lot of them until she started to get overwhelmed. She was then flung into a tree, knocking her out.

Cinder then turned to where she last saw Ruby and found her far away. Ruby had her scythe at the ready, behind her, and she was in her running stance. Ruby then charged at full speed, like she did in the food fight.

Cinder responded by shooting glass shards at Ruby. Ruby ran so fast that she not only broke any shard that hit her, but any that missed were pulled in by the updraft of her speed.

Cinder was surprised by this move and took a defensive stance. Just as Ruby came up on her, Cinder blocked her scythe with her bare hands. Ruby then fired a round, causing Cinder to fall back. Ruby then pulled her blade out of Cinder's grasp and jumped high.

Right when Cinder stood back up and looked to see that Ruby was gone, she then noticed a massive wave of glass shards, rocks and broken trees were coming right at her. She pulled up a fire wall, though it seemed like she was tiring out form holding it.

When all the debris hit the wall, it made a lot of smoke that surrounded the whole battle field. Ruby walked into the smoke in the hopes to find Cinder. Then she was blasted in the back by a fireball.

Ruby was too weak to stand back up; her scythe was too far from her grasp. Cinder walked around her, in her arrogant posture. Once Cinder reached the weapon she kicked it so hard, it impaled a tree five feet away.

"It's a shame, Rose." Cinder said with a disappointed tone. "In another life, in another time, we might have been friends." She kneeled down and put her hand on Ruby's chin and lifted her up slightly, "But you have been a thorn in my side too long."

Cinder let go of Ruby, then stood straight up. She raised her left hand to her mouth and talked into the bracelet, "Cease all attacks and stand guard."

* * *

(Over by the _Grizzly_ )

Any of the Grimm, that were attacking the company at the tank, immediately stopped attacking and backed away. Everyone stopped fighting in response to them backing off.

"What's going on?" Sun asked with fear in his voice. "They're backing off… They never back off."

"Not unless they're ordered to." Yatsuhashi said with a suspicious voice.

* * *

(Back to Cinder and Ruby)

Cinder widened her arms out and made all the smoke around them float away fast. All the fires in the trees were put out instantly. The smoke cleared far enough for the rest of the company to see Ruby on the ground bellow Cinder's feet.

"RUBY!" Weiss shouted while trying to stand. Neptune had her arm over his shoulder as a support.

Just as one of the company tried to move forward, a Beowulf punched him back and then went back to where it was, like a guard dog.

Yang finally broke out of the glass just as she stood up and turned to see Ruby and Cinder, she was pushed down by the foot of a Major Ursa. She could still look up to see what was happening, but she couldn't move.

Blake was starting to come to, and when she tried to get up, a lion Grimm held her down with its paw. Blake could see Ruby and Cinder but was too weak to say anything.

Cinder looked to her henchmen, "Hold her up." She pointed to Ruby when she said that.

Two of the Lieutenants walked up and grabbed Ruby, one holding each arm, just above the ground. Cinder held out her left hand and formed a glass bow. She slowly walked up to Ruby and held her head up by pulling the back of her hair. "Any last words, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby looked at Cinder right in the eye, she smirked, "Nope."

Cinder was irritated by Ruby's smirk. She took four steps back and formed a glass arrow.

* * *

Jaune was uphill and just broke through the smoke. He looked down and saw what was happening. It was as if his nightmare about Pyrrha was happening again with Ruby. He would not stand for it.

His legs started to glow; he collapsed his shield and held his sword in his right hand. He then sprinted at full speed down that hill. His legs were glowing and moving faster than he has ever gone.

* * *

Cinder readied her arrow, "Goodbye, Ruby Rose." She said with a smile as she let it louse the arrow. Cinder could see a light shining to her left, but it was so bright she couldn't see it's source.

In a split second as she let go that arrow, there was a glowing blade coming down in front of her. The blade first cut the top of her bow, came down and cut the arrow as it was passing, and stopped it before it could continue, and then dismembered her arm just below the elbow just before cutting the bottom of the bow.

It all happened so fast that she didn't even feel the pain until the sword had already finished its cutting motion.

Her disembodied arm, still holding the bow, fell to the ground. She took a few steps back and shouted in pain and agony. The blade had cauterized the wound instantly after it was cut, luckily for her, she won't die from blood lose, but it does hurt like hell.

Ruby had a face of both shock and happiness. "JAUNE!"

* * *

Back at the tank, Coco began to smile, "Just like the Goliath." Everyone but Weiss nodded in agreement.

Weiss' eyes were so wide with shock of what happened. _"He surely isn't the same Jaune Arc that I remember, anymore."_

To say that Blake was shocked would be an understatement. _"He actually managed to cut her skin."_

Yang was both shocked and happy to see him show up when he did. _"You really have changed, Vomit-boy."_

* * *

Once _Crocea Mors_ finished its cutting move, Jaune faced the two Lieutenants that were holding Ruby. They both dropped her and pulled out their weapons. The first had two axes with gun barrels next to the blades, while the other had two short swords that had the same king of dust revolver that Weiss sword had.

Both charged at Jaune at full speed, with full intent to kill him. Jaune pulled out his shield and stopped both of their first strikes with ease, Jaune pushed them off his sword and made them take a few steps back.

Jaune charged at both and swung his blade at the first, the Lieutenant used his axes in a 'X' form to try to block Jaune's blade. With Jaune's sword glowing, he cut through both weapons like they were plastic, and then kicked the man in the chest, knocking him down hard.

The second Lieutenant tried to stab Jaune from behind while he was focusing on the first. Jaune quickly turned and blocked the attack and hit the Lieutenant in the head with his shield. The Lieutenant was hit so hard; he crashed right into the lion Grimm that was holding Blake down.

Jaune then put his sword in his shield, quick drew his pistol, put a lot of power into the first bullet, and exploded Major Ursa's head off. Its body fell to it's side, allowing Yang to stand up.

Cinder backed away, face full of shock and fear. She held her left arm in the hope to stop the pain. She then looked to the glowing man that was holding Ruby. "Who… Who are you?"

Jaune holstered his pistol, drew his sword and faced Cinder with a very serious look in his eye, "My name is Jaune Arc. And you're not going to take anymore of my friends."

Mercury was both shocked and angered of what just transpired. He immediately stopped recording the whole thing and charged in. "YOU BASTARD!"

Cinder backed away, there was slight fear in her eyes. She was still in shock after losing her arm she couldn't think straight. One of the White Fang agents ran to her and helped her to one of the trucks.

Jaune blocked Mercury's kick and pushed him off his sword. Neo joined in and attacked Jaune along side Mercury. While they were fighting, all the Grimm that were standing there started fighting again.

Ruby ran to her scythe and started fighting off Grimm with Yang and Blake by her side.

Jaune ended his fight between Mercury and Neo by damaging Mercury's left leg. After seeing him hurt Cinder, defeat two Lieutenants, and now beat Mercury, Neo decide to make one of her special escapes.

She grabbed Mercury while he was on the ground, and put her umbrella in front of them. Jaune charged and swung his sword at her, what he didn't expect was to find that they were noting but a glass image. When he looked around they were gone, then he looked to the trucks to find Mercury being helped into one of the trucks.

"We're done here!" Mercury shouted as he slammed the truck's door.

Cinder and Neo sat in the back; Neo ripped one of her jacket sleeves off and tied it tight around Cinder's arm. All the other White Fang members got into their vehicles and drove off.

* * *

After about ten minutes of fighting off the remaining Grimm horde, the company had won the battle. Just as a big Ursa was about to come down form up the hill, it was decapitated. When its body fell, there stood Qrow with his scythe out.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby smiled wide, and received a hug from her uncle.

"Good to see you're ok kid." Qrow said as he hugged with his only free hand, he smiled with his eyes closed. "I almost thought she had you." Yang then joined in the hug, after all that just happened; they all needed it.

Once they all let go, Ruby looked to Jaune, "You saved me…" She then hugged him tight, "I knew you would make it in time."

Yang joined in the hug, tears going down her face, there was a slight sob in her voice, "Nice timing, Jaune. You almost had us worried."

Jaune felt a little light headed after using so much of his power at once. He put more power into his legs than he ever has, and put even more power into his sword than he ever needed to. It wore him out more than the duel with John.

Jaune slightly moaned to the weight of both Huntresses squeezing him, "Glad I could make it in time… Guys can't breathe."

He let in a large breath once they both let go. The whole company ran up to them, cheering Jaune.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Nora shouted as she jumped up and down.

"You cut Cinder's arm the same way you did the Goliath! That was amazing!" Coco said as she patted Jaune's back hard.

"You were incredible!" Ren complimented.

"I've never seen anyone swing their blade that fast before." Fox said.

Velvet constantly took pictures of Jaune and gave him a smile, "That was really cool."

Weiss walked through the crowd and walked up to Jaune. She had a very serious face on, which made everyone in the group quiet.

"Jaune…" Weiss cleared her throat, "Before we started on this mission, I told everyone that making you the leader would be the biggest mistake since making you the leader of JNPR."

Her voice was calm and collected. "I also said that making you leader would only lead us into trouble, or to our deaths." She took a few more steps towards him, "I even said that you had no place with us or right to even be a Huntsman anymore."

Everyone started to get worried what she would say next. Jaune's wasn't surprised at all that she thought of him this way. Since the day they met, she always saw him as a wanna-be hero who had no place among professionals, and for a time, she was right.

She lowered her head and took in a few breaths, when she raised her head back up to Jaune; there were tears in her eyes. "I've never been so happy to be wrong!"

Weiss then hugged him tight; everyone watching dropped their jaws to the ground. Weiss Schnee admitting she was wrong was unbelievable, and admitting that she was happy she was wrong was unimaginable.

Weiss then let go but still held onto his arms, "I'm so sorry I doubted you."

"No… Don't be. I doubted myself too…" He looked to everyone, "I doubted myself thinking… that I could ever lead anyone again, let alone a company or a team, after Beacon fell." Tears started to well up in his eyes; he then looked to Ruby, "I can't thank you enough for asking me to come back."

Ruby hugged him again, laying her head on his chest, "We all asked for you back, I was just the one who delivered the message."

Qrow smiled at all this, he started to feel sober. He quickly pulled out his flask and started drinking. Once he stopped he spoke, "Come on… Let's get down from this mountain and get on our way." He then gestured Jaune to follow him so that they could get his bike.

Once they brought the bike down from up the hill, they started to replace the back tire. Nora was looking out form the cliff and spotted something. "Guys, look!"

Everyone rushed over to her and saw what she was looking at. They could see Beacon's CCT tower in the far distance. It was really small, but it was large enough for them to see it.

"Beacon… and the capital City of Vale." Qrow said after a gulp from his flask.

"We're almost there." Blake said with hope in her voice.

Jaune looked down on his watch, his eyes widened, "Come on guys, we need to move now. We only have three days left before New Year's Eve."

"He's right." Weiss said with a confident voice, "Let's go. We don't have all year."

After the bike's wheel was replaced, they drove back up the hill and back down the path that Jaune took before and continued that way down the mountain.

* * *

 **AN: And so ends the "Unexpected Journey" arc of my story. Up next will be the "Desolation of Smaug" arc. I am so happy I made it this far with so many favs and followers.**

 **Thank you all so much for your support.**

 **I will have the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

 **Arkos FOREVER!**


	10. The Bear and The Archer

**The Bear and the Archer**

* * *

 **AN: I am glad you all enjoyed the fight in the previous chapter.**

 **I can't believe I managed to get to 10 chapters and so many people like my story.  
Thank you all!**

 **Now to the continuation of our hero's adventure to Beacon.**

 **I'd like to thank 'Nightengale4698' for being my beta-reader for this chapter, and the chapters in the future.**

* * *

(Days till New Year's Eve: 3 Days)

It took the company the whole day to drive down the mountain and into the forest below. Unfortunately for the company, they discovered that the forest was infested with Grimm. Every time they tried to set up camp, they were attacked by Beowulves or Creeps. With so many Grimm around, they were unable to find a good camp sight.

They eventually had to stop to refuel their vehicles. The moment all the vehicles were turned off, it was completely quiet. No sound of birds, forest animals, or even the hoot of an owl. Everyone in the Grizzly had to jump out if they were attacked again.

Jaune got off his bike and walked up to Blake and Velvet, "Scout ahead. See if you can find us a way out of this forest, or some kind of shelter." He had to whisper in the hopes to not risk any more Grimm discovering them.

They both nodded and jumped up the trees and moved north form the company.

"Why did you ask them?" Ruby asked.

"Because their breeds of Faunus have night-vision." Jaune said.

"Oh, that makes sense. What are we going to do?" Ruby said.

"Hold up here, refuel the bikes and tank, and wait for them to come back." Jaune said as he took one of the gas tanks form the _Grizzly_ and began refueling his bike.

Yang did the same with her bike; Yatsu started refueling the _Grizzly_ as well, with the help of Fox. While the refueling was underway, Coco and Weiss were distributing bullets to everyone who needed more after their last battle.

* * *

(Blake and Velvet's scouting point)

Blake and Velvet jumped from tree to tree to find shelter or a way out of the forest. Thanks to their night-vision, they were able to see through the dark night and see where they were going.

Blake looked around and found what looked like a large rock formation to her left and started moving towards it, Velvet followed her. They both started to hear what sounded like a loud roar.

Velvet felt a chill run down her spine, "What was that?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of a roar like that. Almost sounds like an Ursa." Blake said with a worried look on her face.

"It sounds bigger than an Ursa." Velvet said with a little fear in her voice.

Blake looked to the rock formation and saw something. It resembled a grizzly bear, except it was large. It was very large. "I think I found it." Blake whispered.

Velvet pulled out her camera and tried to use its lenses to see farther. Once it was in focus, she could see that the 'bear' was very large, had scars on its main body and face, claws like blades and teeth like knives. She took a picture, minus the flash so that she wouldn't draw its attention, but the creature turned its head towards them when the camera clicked.

"We need to get back to the others." Velvet suggested.

She got no argument from Blake as they both made their way back to the company. They heard another that roar sounded closer, meaning that the beast was following them.

* * *

(Back with the company)

They finished refueling their vehicles restocking their ammunition, now they were waiting for Blake and Velvet to come back.

Weiss was starting to nod off, but Jaune woke her back up by tapping her foot. "Don't fall asleep out here!" he whispered with a hiss.

"I am tired! We've been going non-stop for over 20 hours straight, Jaune." Weiss hissed back.

"You're not the only one who's tired, Weiss. But we can't risk letting our guard down out here." Jaune said.

Blake and Velvet landed next to the tank and walked up to the company.

"Blake, Velvet, your back." Ruby said with a whisper.

"What do you have to report? Is there any shelter, or at least a way out of the forest?" Jaune asked.

"No, but we have a new problem." Blake said with a worried look in her eye.

"What is it?" Qrow asked as he was drinking form his flask.

"There is something out there… something really big." Velvet said with fear in her eyes.

"What did it look like? Like a bear?" Qrow asked with serious look in his eyes.

Both Blake and Velvet were shocked by his question.

"Yes… But it was huge, almost bigger than the tank." Velvet said with shock in her eyes.

"How did you know?" Blake asked with a surprised look on her face.

"You know about this thing?" Neptune asked.

Qrow turned towards the path, he looked as though he was deep in thought.

"We should turn back to the mountain, and find a way around the forest." Sun suggested.

"It'll take too long to go around. Plus there are a lot of Grimm between us and the mountain base." Jaune said.

"That and we aren't strong enough to take on any more Grimm, we're all exhausted." Ruby stated as she gestured to the worn out company before her.

"There is a house not far from here." Qrow said as he turned back towards the company. "We could stay there for the night."

"Who's house?" Yang asked. "Are they friends?"

"Not exactly. They will either help us, or turn us away." Qrow said as he looked to Jaune, "But I have a feeling they won't."

"Not like we have any other choice. Mount up, everyone. Qrow, lead the way." Jaune ordered.

Everyone got into their vehicles; Qrow sat behind Jaune and pointed him down the path they were previously on.

* * *

The company continued through the forest and made it out, but they could still hear the large bear's roar echo through the air. Jaune could tell that it was following them, and it was getting closer.

Qrow lead the company to a small farm in the middle of nowhere. Weiss even looked at their holographic map to see that there were no villages anywhere close to this farm and that it was just outside both Vacuo and Vale's boarders, meaning that this farm was independent from both kingdoms.

The farm had a large house; it was two stories, made of wood and had trees growing on the sides of it.

"How can there be a farm all the way out here, alone?" Weiss asked with a completely surprised face.

"Yeah, most usually don't make it on their own in the outlands." Blake said in agreement.

As they pulled up and got out of the tank, they walked to the door. They all jumped when they heard the roar echo behind them. Everyone turned to look behind the tank to see the large bear breaking through the tree line and charging at them.

Qrow ran to the front door and started banging against it, "Meri! Meri, open the door!"

Everyone gathered at the door behind Qrow. Jaune could hear someone walking to the door. Then he heard a woman's voice, she had an accent he never heard before. "Qrow, is that you?"

"Yes it's me, open up!" Qrow demanded, mostly because of the angry bear that was charging at them was getting closer.

The door opened fast and everyone pilled in. The bear jumped over the _Grizzly_ and ran straight for the front door. Everyone ran to the door and closed it, the beast slammed against the door before they could fully close it.

Once they heard the beast walked away, everyone relaxed. Neptune put his back to one of the walls and slowly sat on the ground, he was winded when he asked, "What the hell was that thing?"

"That 'thing' is ma guidman, Beorn." The woman said with a slight hiss in her voice. The woman was pretty tall, roughly the same height as Jaune or Qrow. She had blue eyes and long curly orange hair. She wore a blue dress.

"Your what?" Ruby asked, she didn't understand what the woman said.

"She said that was her husband." Qrow said as he drank from his flask.

"That thing is your husband? That thing could kill you!" Weiss practically shouted.

"He wid ne'er harm me." Merida said with a slightly annoyed look in her eye.

"And who are you?" Ruby politely asked.

"Ah, whaur ur mah manners. A'm Merida." The woman said as she bowed her head slightly. She then turned to Qrow and hit him in the shoulder, "Qrow, whit th' hell urr ye daein' 'ere?"

"Ow! We were passing by and we needed a place to stay the night." Qrow said as he was rubbing his shoulder.

"We will only be here for the night, we promise. We'll pay you for the inconvenience." Jaune said as he walked up to her through the group.

Merida looked at Jaune with shock in her eyes, almost as if she saw a ghost. She shook herself back to reality, she smiled, "Ye dinnae hae tae dae that." She then looked to Qrow, "Althoogh, ye micht huv tae apologize tae Beorn th' morns mornin'."

Qrow closed his eyes, smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Merida gestured for the group to follow her, "C'moan, ah will gie ye a' some blankets."

"So you're wedded to a bear?" Weiss asked with a disgusted look on her face.

"He insae a bear, he's a skin-changer" Merida said with irritation in her voice.

"You mean they're real too?" Blake asked with shock in her eyes.

"You know about them?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. It's an old legend, as old as the Faunus themselves." Blake said with amazement in her eyes, "According to legend, there was a special breed of Faunus that not only looked like animals, but they had the ability to turn into the animal they resembled."

"I thought they were extinct." Velvet said.

"Heh, Trolls, Goblins, now Skin-Changers… What's next?" Coco said in an attempt to tempt fate.

"Alright, that's enough of the history lesson. We need to go to sleep now." Jaune said, he was practically at war with his body to stay awake. He got no argument from anyone else in the house. They all got their blankets and pillows form Merida and found their own places to sleep in the house.

 **(AN: I would like to make a note, everything that Merida said was real Scottish slang from the 'English to Scottish slang translator'.)**

* * *

(The Spire Fortress)

The trucks came back, once they stopped, one of the White Fang guards had to carry Cinder out of the truck and into the Spire.

They walked into the elevator and went to the prison level. As the door opens, Emerald was in the hallway standing in front of Pyrrha's cell. It looked like she was talking to her.

Emerald moved to the side as the guard carrying Cinder took her to the medical bay at the other end of the hall. Pyrrha stood up and walked to the bars, her eyes were wide from shock. There, in the arms of one of the guards, laid the woman who surpassed her.

 _"_ _Who could have done that?"_ Pyrrha questioned in her mind, she knew that if she had said that out loud they would have punished her in some form or fashion.

* * *

In the medical room, they lay her down on the table and begin to operate on her arm. After about an hour, they patched her arm and disinfected the wound, Cinder was starting to wake up.

"Hugh…" Cinder groaned and put her right hand to her head, she then looked to the stump of what was left of her left arm. "How bad is it? Can you replace it?"

The main doctor in the room looked nervous. "I… cannot. If it was a clean cut, yes. But the wound was cauterized. The only way to replace it is if we cut more off."

She squinted her eyes in irritation, "Very well, I will have to make do with what we have." Cinder then raised her stump towards the back wall. The wall was then engulfed in fire; droplets of liquid dripped from it and hit the ground. The liquid then formed together and began to float in the air.

The ball of liquid became clear; it wasn't water, it was glass. The liquid then moved to her stump. Once it made contact with her skin, she bit her lower lip till it bled. The liquid ball then formed into a forearm and a hand.

Once the glass cooled, it didn't harden. She opened it and closed it; it moved just as fluidly and easily as a normal hand would. Everyone looked in shock at the marvel of her Fall Maiden talents.

"Benefits of having magic, instead of semblance." Cinder said with a devious smile.

Emerald moved slowly and touched the hand, it wasn't hot at all, in fact it was cold. She then looked to Cinder, "Who did this to you?"

"Remember the knight that scared the crap out of Neo? It was him." Mercury said with anger in his voice. With a box of tools next to him, he was fixing his broken leg.

"A knight? Who was it?" Emerald asked.

"His name is Jaune Arc." Cinder said with anger in her voice.

"Jaune Arc?" Emerald asked with shock, she had a face what was both surprise and confusion. "Wasn't he the guy who wore a dress at the dance?"

"Yes, although he doesn't seem as weak as he did then." Cinder said. _"If he's an Arc, then that would mean he's…"_

"Is there anything about him in Beacon's database?" Mercury asked.

Emerald looked into her scroll and pulled up Jaune's file. "Well, he was the team leader of team JNPR, and the partner of 'princess'. You know… Now that I think about it, she did have a certain reaction when she heard his voice on Neo's recording." Emerald said with a curious look in her eyes.

"You think they were close?" Mercury asked.

"I doubt it; someone with his stats wouldn't get far with a girl like her. She's out of his league." Emerald said as she looked into scroll again.

"I wouldn't be so sure. He took us apart fast; he's in a league of his own." Mercury said as he looked at his scroll, watching Jaune's 'entrance' into the battle.

"I believe I know what he is…" Cinder said with an ominous voice. "But more to that later, how is the progress on our guest?"

Emerald stepped back from Cinder; she had a nervous look on her face. "Well… we haven't made any."

Cinder's glass hand started to glow red, "Excuse me?"

"Wait, hear me out!" Emerald said with both her hand up, Cinder's had then returned to normal and she waited to hear Emerald's explanation.

"Every attempt we made to corrupt her, alter her, or even so much as torture her was stopped." Emerald said.

"What?! How is that even possible?" Mercury asked.

Emerald took a deep breath and took a data pad form one of the doctors, "Remember that aura reserve that saved her from your arrow? Well, whenever we tried to do something to her, it would appear and stop us in every way."

"That's impossible." Cinder said with irritation, "You said that aura went away after she was awakened."

"That's what we thought, but it reappeared every time we tried something." Emerald said as she looked down, "Almost as if it went dormant until she was in danger."

"So what do we do? If we can't torture her, how do we get her to be on our side?" Mercury asked.

"Maybe she does care for him, she certainly seemed a little happy to hear his voice again when I played Neo's recording to her. If we imprison him like her, we might be able to get her to cooperate." Emerald suggested.

"Yes." Cinder said with an arrogant smile, "He may have surprised me, but he would never beat me in a straight up fight. And when we have him, she will do anything for his safety." Cinder then stood up and walked out of the room, Mercury and Emerald followed.

* * *

Pyrrha was up against the wall, trying to scrape at it with a fork she got for her food. The material on the wall scratched easily, but whenever she made a small hole, more melted over it and covered the hole. After the second time she had a face of both fear and confusion.

"It's not metal," said a malevolent voice from behind.

Pyrrha turned quick to find Cinder, Mercury and Emerald standing outside the bars. "This entire building is made of enchanted glass. And there is only one way out, so don't bother trying to escape." Cinder said with a devious smile.

"What do you want?" Pyrrha asked with a hiss.

"I have a few questions for you." Cinder said with a smile. Just as she was about to ask her first question, a White Fang guard came up to her.

"Ma'am, we have a special guest coming." The guard said with slight fear in his voice.

Cinder looked at him with irritation, "Very well." She then looked to Pyrrha, "We'll talk later."

* * *

Outside the main gate of the Spire, came ten bikers. All wearing black cloaks that covered their heads accept one. The one in front had brown hair, wore a small Grimm mask that covered his face from the nose up and horns coming out of his forehead.

As the riders pulled up, Cinder walked to the head biker. "Adam Taurus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked sarcastically.

"I was ordered to bring you to Dol Guldur. The Necromancer says it's urgent." Adam said with a content look on his face.

Cinder's eyes squinted, almost as if she hated the mention of that man, "Very well." Cinder looked to Emerald and Mercury, "You two, find out more about this knight, get the info form Nikos if you have to. I will be back soon."

Both nodded to her orders. Cinder then sat on the bike, behind Adam. Adam got a quick look at Cinder's new arm, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Don't ask, just drive." Cinder said with anger in her voice.

They then rode off to the south with all the other bikers following them.

* * *

(Days to New Year's Eve: 2 Days / Beorn and Merida's house)

As the sun began to rise, the large bear that was patrolling the house started to move closer to it. It started to get smaller, and look more human. The man fell limp and hit the ground, but then picked himself back up.

Merida was waiting at the front porch, holding cloths in her hands. She walked over to the man in the distance. The man walked but was dazed.

Once he reached Merida, she hugged him tight, she could feel the man tense up in her arms, "Relax, a'm 'ere, mah loue."

Beorn stood only a foot taller than her, he had long brown hair coming down his head. There was an iron shackle on his left wrist. He had big bear ears coming out of his head, like how Blake's ears went.

She could hear him sniff the air, "Who's here?" He then looked behind her and saw the _Grizzly_ parked in front of the house. "Hunters!"

"Na, ah let thaim in." Merida said as she held both his arms. "Thay wantit oor hulp."

Beorn rolled his eyes, took the cloths from Merida's hands and walked past her, "I told you before, Merida. We do not aid anyone, let alone hunters." He said with a growl.

What Merida said next made Beorn stop as if he was a statue, "Th' son o' Jonah Arc is wi' thaim."

Beorn looked to her slowly, he had a face of shock. "Are you sure?"

"He looks juist lik' him. He even soonds lik' him." Merida said with a half-smile.

Beorn groaned, as if he was defeated, "I… will get the food for breakfast. See to it that they are awake soon."

Merida nodded both as a 'yes' and as a 'thank you'. She then remembered who else was with them and gave a nervous smile, "Qrow is wi' thaim tea."

Beorn groaned again and rolled his eyes as he made his way to the barn, "Hugh, I'll deal with him later."

* * *

Jaune woke up to find everyone still asleep. When he stood up he found that there was a large chair in the room he was in, and over the fireplace was a war-bow. The bow was brown, but there were two small blades at each end of the bow.

Jaune walked over his friends, who were still asleep on the ground, and to the window to see Merida return.

"Och, guid. Ye'r awake." Merida said with a smile. They both then heard a cry upstairs. It sounded like a baby's cry, "Ah will tak' care o' him. Kin ye wake a' body up, breakfast wull be duin soon."

Jaune nodded to the woman and began waking everyone up. One-by-one he either shook them or tapped their foreheads to wake them up. Nora was the last for him to wake up, but she slept like a log.

Once Merida came back down, holding a little boy in her arms, she walked over to the stove and fired it up. The child was small; it had short brown curly hair, and had blue eyes.

"Ye a' kin set up th' buird, breakfast wull be duin in a minute." Merida said as she sat the baby in a seat next to the table.

The whole company helped in setting up the table; most of the girls were going crazy over Merida's baby. The little boy smiled at them, and giggled.

Ruby looked to Merida, "How old is your baby?"

"He is twa 'n' a hauf year auld." Merida said with pride. She laid four strips of bacon on a pan over the stove.

Jaune was still standing over Nora, trying to wake her up. She wouldn't budge no matter what he did. Ren came up to him, holding a finished strip of bacon in his hand, "I have an idea."

Ren then put the bacon in front of Nora's nose, when she inhaled, her eyes shot open fast. She quickly opened her mouth and ate the bacon out of Ren's hand. She bit his hand a little in the process. "OW!"

"Sorry." Nora said with a nervous smile, "Is there more?"

"Go sit at the table, Merida is still making the food." Jaune said as he pointed to the table behind him.

Beorn walked in through the door in the kitchen, he was holding a bucket of milk and a basket of eggs. He placed the basket of eggs on the table next to the stove and poured the milk into the milk separator.

Everyone was talking amongst themselves, some were talking about what the fight the other night was like for them, some talked about the baby at the table, Jaune was the only one who wasn't talking.

Beorn could see Jaune through the group and was surprised at the way he looked, "You're right. He does look like him."

Qrow came down from the upstairs, "Merida, thanks again for letting me stay in the guest room…" Qrow stopped talking when Beorn was in his sight. "Hey, big guy… How've you been?"

"Not exactly happy to see you so soon." Beorn said with an angered voice.

"Well it's only been two years." Qrow said with a nervous smile.

"Two years too soon." Beorn said.

"I take it you two have a bad history?" Yang asked.

"Sort of." Qrow said with a nervous smile, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Once Merida was done making the food, Beorn picked up the food and took them to the main table. In his right hand there was a big plate with bacon strips stacked over each other, and in his left there was a big bowl of scrambled eggs. Merida handed everyone their own cups and pored each of them a glass of milk, then returned to the kitchen.

"A'body waant coffee?" Merida said as she was holding a coffee pot.

"Coffee for me, please." Coco said.

"Me too." Weiss said as she raised her hand.

"I'll have some of that." Qrow said.

Beorn walked past Jaune as he finished setting down all the food. "So… You are Jaune Arc, son of Jonah."

Jaune was surprised, "You knew my father?"

"Knew him? if 'twas nae fur him, we wid nae be 'ere." Merida said with a huff.

Beorn walked over to the child and picked him up, "A hoard of Grimm attacked the farm in the middle of the night. My wife was pregnant at the time, so I had to fight them off myself. Even in my other form, I was being overwhelmed. Then your father arrived." Beorn looked to Jaune when he said that, "I guess he was on a patrol mission on the boarders of Vale, but I guess that doesn't really matter. We fought off every Grimm that night; I've never before seen such spirit in a man."

Jaune felt somewhat proud to hear such a story about his father. Even when he was around, his father never told him of his adventures like Ruby's parents did. It always made him sad that he never did.

"Tell me, what brings you here?" Beorn asked as he gave Merida the child.

"We ran into a little bad luck with goblins up in the mountains." Qrow said.

"Why would you go near goblins for? Stupid thing to do." Beorn said with a voice of annoyance.

"That was my fault actually. I didn't know there were goblins there. But we had to get across fast." Jaune said.

"I see." Beorn said with a more calm voice.

"I'm curious, are there others like you?" Weiss asked.

"Once there were many." Beorn said.

"And now?" Blake asked.

"Now there are few." He said with a sad voice.

"What happened?" Velvet asked.

If anyone else had asked, he would have ignored the question, but since it was a fellow Faunus who asked, he was inclined to answer. "Our kind were the first to live in the mountains. The goblins came and decided to live below the surface. Over time, the goblins pushed us out. They killed most of our people, but those who survive were forced into the out-lands. My son and I are two of the few left."

"I'm sorry." Jaune said as he lowered his head.

"Don't be, it happened decades ago. And you are here now." Beorn said. "You are trying to reach Beacon, aren't you?"

"Yes. We are going to slay Smaug and bring Cinder Fall's reign to an end." Qrow said.

"The only problem is, in order to do all of that, we need to be at beacon before New Year's Eve." Yang said after taking a few bites of bacon.

"Yer a'maist oot o' time." Merida said as she was rocking her child back to sleep.

"That is why we will cut through Mirkwood, to save us time." Qrow said.

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees." Beorn almost sounded nervous at the mention of Mirkwood. "I would not venture there except in great need."

"We'll be taking the old road. It is still clear, thanks to the Atlas perimeter." Weiss said with a little pride in her voice.

"Clear? Maybe, but do not count too much on the kindness of those soldiers." Beorn said.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"Ever since the 'Quarantine Zone' was set up, any Faunus who gets near the walls is detained and questioned. General Ironwood has become more paranoid than before; he believes any Faunus that isn't one of his troops is a secret agent of the White Fang. With all the bombings over the past two years, I couldn't blame him." Beorn said.

"We'll think of something when we get there." Jaune said with confidence to his company. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Assuming you reach the walls." Beorn said.

"What do you mean?" Qrow asked.

"These lands are crawling with Grimm. Even the White Fang have camps along the forest. You'll never get there without a fight, or without losing people." Beorn said.

"What are you suggesting?" Qrow asked.

Beorn then looked to everyone, "Aside from my wife, I don't like humans, hunters no less. They're greedy… and have prejudice towards those who they deem different form themselves. And blind to those whom they believe lesser than their own."

The tension in the room started to grow, even Merida was worried what he was going to say next.

Beorn then walked to Merida and petted his son. "But I owe your father my life, Jaune Arc; my life and the life of my wife and son. And so, I am indebted to you as well."

Merida started to smile, both with happiness and pride for her husband.

Beorn looked to Jaune, "What do you need?"

* * *

After the company finished breakfast, they started repairing the _Grizzly_ and the bikes. As thanks for letting the company stay there and making breakfast, any who weren't working on the vehicles were helping Merida with the chores around the farm.

Merida talked with Weiss and showed her shortcuts on the map for them to take when they get into Mirkwood.

Jaune was sitting on the ground with his back to the barn. He pulled out a neckless out from under his shirt. It had a cross and a green jewel next to it.

The cross was the last birthday present his father gave him before he went missing. Jaune wore that cross every day since. The cross was from a religion his family believed in, he did too… for a time. But when his father went missing and people were saying he was dead, he started to lose faith.

The jewel he had originated from Pyrrha's headpiece. It was one of the green jewels that dangled on the chains that were over the ears. When Jaune had got the letter back from Pyrrha's parents, the jewel came with the letter. He had on his necklace ever since.

Jaune had his knees close to his face and used them to hold up his arms in front of his face. He looked directly at the cross, a face full of guilt and sorrow.

"I… I know it's been a while since I talked to you…" Jaune said with a guilty voice. With no one around to hear this, he talked out loud. "But I wanted to thank you… for… giving me the strength to save my friends this time."

"Wow. Last time you spoke to Him you were crying over me… Two years ago." Pyrrha said. Jaune looked to see that she was sitting next to him, legs crossed. Jaune nodded in agreement to her statement.

Jaune heard foots steps coming his way, they were from something big. _"It's either Yatsu or Beorn."_ Jaune looked to find that it was Beorn who was approaching, carrying his child.

Beorn sat down next to Jaune, setting his son on his lap. Beorn noticed Jaune's cross, "I've seen that symbol before. Your father had it on him that day."

"Yeah, he gave it to me on my birthday, before he disappeared." Jaune said. He had a face of slight frustration and confusion, "The biggest problem I'm dealing with right now is that everyone seems to know him. At least, a version of him that I never knew."

"I mean I knew he was a hero but not the kind that made him so well known by everyone. I wish I could see him again and learn more about him, and to actually have a chance to say goodbye this time." Jaune said as he rested his forehead on his knees.

Jaune could see at the corner of his left eye, Pyrrha was sitting next to him, "You weren't just talking about your father, were you?" Jaune gave no answer, because she already knew the truth.

Beorn looked to Jaune; from the first moment he saw him, he knew that Jaune was grieving for a loss, and judging by the way he spoke, Beorn could tell that it wasn't just his father. "Your father was good man. He was one of the few humans that I have ever trusted with my life. He spoke of you; he had a lot of pride in his voice whenever he mentioned you." Beorn said, while he was sitting his son up.

Jaune looked up to Beorn; a small smile grew on his face, "Thanks." Jaune looked to the child on his lap, and patted his back. "What's his name?"

"Jonah." Beorn said without missing a beat.

Jaune looked up to him and smiled. "It's… it's a good name."

"It was Merida's idea." Beorn smiled. He then looked to the _Grizzly_ to see the companies that were working on it were finishing up. "Come on, I believe your friends are ready."

Jaune looked to see that he was right, "Yeah."

Once they both stood up, Jaune brushed little Jonah's cheek, then looked to Beorn, "Beorn, thank you, for all of this."

Beorn smiled, "Anything for a friend."

* * *

The company was loading up the tank with all the food that Merida could spare them. Coco was doing one last run through of all the bullets to see if they had enough.

Qrow and Beorn were talking as Jaune was starting up his bike.

"I will do my best to keep the Grimm off your back, but once you enter the forest, you're on your own." Beorn said to Qrow.

"Understood." Qrow nodded to Beorn. Qrow then looked to the tree line. He could feel as though the whole forest was watching them. "We're being watched."

"Yes." Beorn said with anger in his voice. "They've been out there since you arrived."

"Tis a'maist lik' they're hunting yer group alone." Merida said as she was walking up to them. She was holding a bow in her hand, there was a quiver on her back, and the feathers of the arrows were in different colors: red, blue, and black.

"Why? Why would these things be coming after us? Grimm have never hunted specific targets before." Qrow said after a sip form his flask.

"Apperently Cinder Fall haes some howfur tamed th' Grimm tae her wull, 'n' tae th' wull o' her mukkers." Merida said with anger in her voice, "Nae tae lang ago, th' white fang tried tae tak' oor croft, we beat thaim 'n' learned o' thair freish power."

"That was months ago." Beorn said. "Now they're getting smarter without being controlled."

"How is this possible?" Qrow asked.

"There is talk of an alliance between the Fall Queen of the Spire and the sorcerer in Dol Guldur." Beorn said.

"Are you sure of this?" Jaune asked.

"Hail hordes hae bin seen gathering thare." Merida said with a slight sound of worry in her voice. "A lot mair shaw up ilka day."

"What do you know of the Necromancer?" Qrow asked.

This was the first Jaune had heard of this sorcerer, so everything they said next was a first for him.

"Whatever he is, he isn't human anymore. A lot of darkness has been drawn to his power, even new forms of Grimm." Beorn said with a chill running down his spine. "Cinder fall isn't his master, neither is he to her, they both follow orders from someone else."

Jaune started to feel a little overwhelmed by all this new information, _"Cinder isn't in charge? Then who is?"_ He snaps himself out of his thought and looked to Qrow, "We need to get going now."

Qrow nodded to Jaune and was about to sit on the bike, but Beorn spoke again, "There is more." Qrow turned to him to hear what else he had to say.

"Not too long ago, word spread… The dead had been seen walking in the continental strips of Lantis, near the High Fells of Rhudaur." Beorn said, and then he asked with a suspicious voice, "Is it true? There are tombs in those mountains?"

Qrow's face became pale, he cleared his throat, "Yes… There are tombs up there."

"I remember reading in old stories, stories that spoke of a great evil that had the power to bring back the dead." Beorn said. "If _she_ is back, I would have you tell me now."

"Saruman believes it is not possible. That that evil was destroyed long ago." Qrow said with a little bit of anger in his voice.

"'n' whit dae ye say, Qrow?" Merida asked.

"I don't know." Qrow said as he looked down, then he looked to them both. "I know that something is coming, and when it does, we'll all have to fight together."

"'n' we wull be duin tae rammy." Merida said with a confident smile.  
(AN: She said "And we will be ready to fight.")

Qrow then hopped on Jaune's bike as he started it. The _Grizzly_ started up and purred like a kitten. All three vehicles rode off down the path that Merida laid out for them and made their way to Mirkwood.

* * *

 **AN: I wanted to give Beorn a little bit more of a story than the one we got in the movies. Plus, I felt that Merida was the best choice considering that she has experience with bears.**

 **Next chapter will be up soon.**

 **R &R**


	11. Into the woods of Mirkwood they go!

**Into the woods of Mirkwood they go!**

* * *

 **AN: Couldn't resist writing that title.** **J** **  
Now the company makes their way through the treacherous forest of Mirkwood, and hopefully, to the Atlas Walls of the Quarantine Zone.**

 **As always I owe thanks to Nightengale4698 for beta-reading my story.**

* * *

(Days till New Year's Eve: 2 Days)

It had been only two hours since the company left Beorn and Merida's farm. What was unexpected for Jaune was that they didn't run into any Grimm since. No Beowulves in sight, no howls or roars in the wind.

They continued on till they reached the entrance into the forest of Mirkwood. Qrow tapped on Jaune's shoulder to get him to stop. Once Jaune stopped, everyone else followed suit.

Jaune walked to the _Grizzly_ and opened the back door. "Hey, I think now is a good opportunity to refuel the vehicles again. We may not get a chance in the forest."

Everyone inside nodded in agreement and pulled out the reserve fuel tanks. Once Jaune was finished refueling his bike, he turned to Coco. "Make one more inventory of our ammunition; I don't want any of us to run out in the middle of a fight."

Coco nodded in agreement and went to the ammo-crates. Jaune noticed that Qrow was standing at the entrance of Mirkwood.

"Welcome to the entrance of Mirkwood." Qrow said to Jaune.

"No sign of any Grimm." Jaune said with a curious look. He looked behind them to see a large bear on top of a rock range, on top of the bear was Merida, holding her bow. "I guess having them around scares the Grimm off."

"You have no idea." Qrow said with a smile as he waved both Merida and Beorn off. Once Merida waved back, they both left the rock face, leaving the company to finish their mission on their own.

Jaune looked to the forest, he had a look of worry and disgust as he spoke, "This forest… it looks sick. Like there is a disease spreading through it."

Ruby walks up to them, she starts to feel a chill run down her spine as she looks deep into the dark forest. "Is there any way around this dark place?"

"Not unless we go 200 miles West or twice that distance East." Qrow says as he takes a few more steps into the forest. _"This isn't right."_ He pulled out Ozpin's cane and shined the gray diamond end in the air.

The light made from the cane made the darkness more visible It flowed like a river. Qrow it flow around him like water around a rock. The 'river' flowed from the East to the West; from Dol Guldur. _"There was only one Dark Maiden in history that has ever done something like this to a forest… 'The Spring Harpy'. And if she's back, along with the Winter Witch, then we are in big trouble. I need to go to the tombs to make sure."_

Qrow turned around fast and walked up to Jaune and Ruby, "I'm sorry guys. But I have to go."

"Go? Go where?" Ruby asked with a worried look on her face. "We need you with us!"

"Believe me, Ruby. I would not go unless I had to." Qrow said as he hugged his niece. Qrow then looked to Jaune with a smile growing on his face. "You have changed, Jaune Arc. You are not the same boy who dreamed of being a hero, all those years ago. Take care of the company while I'm gone."

Jaune nodded to him, "Good luck. And be careful."

"You too." Qrow said as he looked to everyone. "I will wait for you all outside the city of Vale, don't enter the caves below Beacon without me." Everyone nodded to his orders. "There is a stream that runs through Mirkwood, a dark enchantment is flowing though it now. Do not touch the water. Only cross with the stone bridge. The forest's air is intoxicating, so try not to breathe so heavily when you're in there. And no matter what don't go off the path, or else you'll get lost forever."

Once Qrow finished giving his orders, it was Jaune's que to give his own. "Let's go guys. I'll go first, Yang behind me, _Grizzly_ behind her."

Once the company drove through the entrance of Mirkwood, Qrow turned around , shifted into a crow and flew away.

 **(AN: Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was his semblance, you guys.)**

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Emerald was looking over the data over all their torture attempts on Pyrrha. Every time they were close to mentally or physically damaging her, the same aura signature protected her. Emerald shouted and hit her head against the table with frustration.

Mercury walked in, "What's wrong?"

"I can't seem to find how she's doing it! Or for that matter, what it is! This isn't _her_ aura signature." Emerald said with anger in her voice.

Mercury looked to Emerald's computer that had the recorded readings of the aura that keeps saving Pyrrha. His eyes widened when he read the signature. "I've seen that signature before."

"You have? Where?" Emerald asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mercury pulled out his scroll and played the video he took of Cinder's fight with Team RWBY and Jaune. When Jaune showed up, and showed him glowing, Mercury's scroll recorded Jaune's aura signature.

"They're the same? How is that possible?" Emerald said with her eyes as wide as olives.

"I don't know." Mercury said, and then he looked as though he had an idea. "Can you see where the aura originated in her?"

Emerald started typing on the computer and looked at all the events when the aura intervened with the torture in the beginning. She found something peculiar, it looks like when it was first discovered in Pyrrha, it was near her mouth.

"It came from her mouth?" Emerald asked to herself.

Mercury had a crazy idea, "You think they kissed?"

Emerald hit Mercury on the shoulder hard, "Even if they did, that doesn't explain how his aura went into her."

Mercury rubbed his shoulder and pouted, "It's still a possibility."

* * *

(The Fortress of Dol Guldur)

Cinder rode into the entrance of the dark fortress with Adam. Once she stepped off the bike, she walked to the main hall of the fortress. The sky was dark, even though it was the middle of the day, the clouds covered the sky as though it was a celling to the whole fortress.

There stood a skinny man; he wore a cloak that went down to the floor and covered his feet. What was strange about the cloak was that it looked like black smoke was coming from it. The man's skin throughout his whole body was pale; his eyes were yellow and the irises black. His hair was a light blue in a buzz cut shape.

"Hades… You summoned for me?" Cinder said with a slightly annoyed voice. "This better be important, because I have better things to worry about than talking to a corpse."

Hades looked to Cinder with annoyance his own eyes then he gave her a creepy smile, "I wasn't the one who summoned you, girl."

He then lifted his hand up and opened his palm; black smoke came out of his hand and swirled in between them. The smoke took the shape of a woman; a woman wearing a black kimono, her face was pale white, her eyes were black but her irises were glowing red like fire. Her hair was pail white as well, and had black roots coming from her hair to her face around her eyes.

Once the figure was whole, Cinder's eyes widened, she kneeled down immediately lowering her head to the ground, "Mistress Salem. Forgive me; I didn't know it was you who had called."

" **It is not entirely your fault.** " Salem lowered her hand to Cinder's chin and raised her face to her, " **Rise, my disciple.** "

Cinder slowly stood up and faced her mistress. " **It pains me to be forced to use this…** ** _archaic_** **means to communicate with you.** " She said with slight disgust in her voice.

"Once we secure the tower, we will be able to communicate like we did before." Cinder said while giving a look towards the Necromancer.

Salem lifted Cinder's glass hand, Salem gave Cinder a sad look, " **Oh my… I suppose I am too late to warn you of this wound. Tell me, who gave you this wound?** "

"His name is Jaune Arc. I think he is a Star Knight." Cinder said with anger in her voice, "Don't worry, I will deal with him."

" **No... You will not."** Salem said as she started to walk, she motioned for Cinder to follow. The Necromancer followed as well, the green mist from his cylinder was fueling the image of Salem, so he had to stay with them so that they could continue their conversation.

As they walked, Salem put her hands together and concealed them in her sleeves, " **The army here is growing in number. I will need you to lead them when the time comes.** "

"What about Rose and Arc? We have to kill them before they become even more of a threat!" Cinder sounded angry.

"The knight has already bested you once, or did you already forget." Hades pointed to Cinder's glass arm.

"He caught me by surprise, that's all. He will not beat my skill with a blade." Cinder said towards Hades with anger and annoyance in her voice.

" **Perhaps… But he is not your fight… Not yet anyway.** " Salem said with a calm voice.

"What? What do you mean?" Cinder asked.

"You are allowing your anger to get the better of you. And doing so will cause you to make rash decisions. The last time that happened, you almost disobeyed our mistress' orders." Hades said with an irritated voice which made Cinder lower her face.

"Watch your tongue, _smoke pile_!" Cinder hissed towards Hades, she looked as though she was about to fight him.

" **Stop it, both of you. He is right, my dear. I ordered you to capture Nikos, and make her one of your soldiers. Not to shoot her in the chest with an arrow.** " Salem said with an angry glare.

"Nikos still survived though." Cinder said as if she was trying to play innocent.

"Which makes you lucky that she did. By the way, how goes her 'reconditioning'? Made any progress?" Hades asked as though he already knows the answers.

"After she awoke, we put her through any form of torture or reconditioning and she has resisted all of them." Cinder said with anger in her voice. "How is it she can be so resilient to our methods?" Cinder asked Salem.

" **It is because a fragment of the Star Knight's aura is within her.** " Salem said.

"What? How?" Cinder asked.

" **It is an ancient practice that aura-users have to keep those they care for alive. It is normally used between two users whom are in love with each other.** " Salem said.

Cinder started to smile, "He doesn't know she's alive, none of them do."

" **Keep it that way, for now**." Salem said as they continued walking, " **In due time, her current state may become more valuable than another soldier.** " Salem said with a devious voice.

" **But until then, I want you back at the Spire. Continue your efforts to 'recondition' Nikos; the knight's aura will not last forever.** " Salem started to fade away into the black mist, " **And the next time we speak, it will be a time of war.** "

After that last remark, Salem smiled and evaporated into black smoke and faded away. Once she was gone, Hades looked to Cinder with a mischevous smile. "Looks like your little vendetta has been canceled, that's too bad."

"It doesn't have to be." Adam said as he walked past Hades and walked up to Cinder. "I would be willing to take care of the knight for you… If you would consider my original request?"

"The City of Vale?" Cinder asked with an obvious voice.

"If the White Fang were to take the city for our own, we would be able to expand farther than ever. More supporters will join, and you would have a whole city full of supporters instead of just an army." Adam said with obvious ambition in his voice. "So what do you say?"

Cinder raised her glass hand to Adam's face, "Kill the knight… and I will give you the whole kingdom."

"It will be done." Adam said as he bowed and walked away.

Adam rode out of the fortress with over 50 White Fang following him. Some were on bikes, others were in trucks, and Adam was in front.

Cinder got into the back of another truck and drove North-east back to the Spire.

* * *

(The forest of Mirkwood)

They continued through the forest as they did from the beginning. Weiss was sitting in the passenger seat of the Grizzly, holding the map that Merida gave them.

"Jaune, we need to go left on the next 'Y' intersection ahead." Weiss said though the radio.

"Copy that." Jaune answered on the radio.

Inside the _Grizzly_ , everyone held their weapons ready, in the possibility of a fight.

They continued though the path for about 10 miles before Weiss spoke though the radio again, "We should see the bridge up ahead."

Right as she said it, Jaune spotted it. "Yeah, I found it."

Jaune slowed down, making everyone else do the same.

"What's going on?" Coco asked, in the back.

"Weiss, the bridge is gone. Is there any other way across this river?" Jaune asked though the radio.

"None that I can see." Weiss said as she was looking though all the other possible options, so far nothing.

"You know, there is enough of the bridge for it to be a good ramp." Yang said with a smile.

"WHAT!? No, no, no! There is no way the _Grizzly_ can even make that jump!" Weiss practically shouted.

"Maybe with a boost?" Neptune asked as he looked to Nora.

Nora gave a big smile, "I'm on it."

Nora jumped out of the tank and formed her hammer. Jaune and Yang got out of the way of the tank so that they wouldn't get hit by it.

They closed the back door of the _Grizzly_ and everyone tightened their seatbelts; Weiss more so than the others. Nora pulled her hammer back like a baseball bat. "Batter up!"

And with a loud bang and hard hit to the rear of the _Grizzly_ , it flew past Jaune and Yang and went up the bridge/ramp, over the river and landed on the other side. Yatsu stomped don the breaks and stopped the tank just before it was about to hit a large tree.

"Everyone okay?" Jaune asked on the radio.

"Never better." Ruby said with a groan through the radio.

Jaune then looked to Yang, "Our turn."

Yang went first. She revved up her engine and drove at top speed, once she reached the top of the ramp, she used her gauntlets to shoot straight down to make her fly high enough and land on the other side of the river.

Once Nora was on the bike with Jaune, he revved up his engine and drove at top speed; he enhanced his bike by putting his aura into it and made the bike go twice as fast. They cleared the jump they landed right next to their friends.

Nora jumped off and started jumping around with happiness, "That was AWESOME!"

Just as Nora finished her cheer, all kinds of snarls and growls could be heard from all around. Everyone looked around to see that they were surrounded by blood red eyes.

"DRIVE!" Jaune shouted to everyone.

All three vehicles drove down the path they were on before at top speed. Nora stayed on Jaune's bike to save the time to go back into the tank.

They drove at full speed down the path. While they were driving, Nora looked behind them to see that they were being followed by Beowulves and Creeps. There were too many for them to fight them all, and they were gaining on them. "FASTER!"

After barreling down random paths, they finally lost the pack of Grimm that were chasing them. But what was strange to Weiss was, when she looked behind them she could have sworn that they were backing off.

Once they were sure they were clear, they all slowed to a stop. Everyone came out of the tank, with their weapons drawn in case of another attack. Jaune walked over to Weiss, "Where are we?"

Weiss looked at the holo-map she had and had a worried look on her face, "I don't know. We went down too many random paths I don't know where we are."

"How are we supposed to get out of the forest now?" Yang asked.

As they were talking, it almost as it they were hearing each other's voices in echo form.

"We could use the sun." Ruby suggested.

"Where is it? I can't see it through the trees." Coco said.

Blake looked straight up, then to everyone else, "I'll go up and take a look."

"I'll go with you." Sun said as he put his weapon away.

"Go straight up then back down, I know we are already getting intoxicated by the air here, I don't want us to get separated." Jaune said.

"You got it." Sun said with a thumb up.

* * *

Both Sun and Blake made their climb to the top of the large trees of Mirkwood. After a few minutes of climbing, they reached the top and found the sun. Blake and Sun took in a deep breath of the fresh air from above.

"(Deep inhale) Ahhh. That feels better." Sun said as he stretched his arms out.

"Look! There's the tower!" Blake pointed to the CCT tower in Beacon, then she pointed to the Atlas Walls. "Look we're almost at the wall."

"Yeah, just need to keep heading that way." Sun said with a smile. "Come on, let's go tell the others."

They both then made their way down to the bottom with the others.

* * *

By the time they both reached the bottom, both found themselves alone.

All three vehicles were still where they were, but the whole company was missing. Blake and Sun looked around to find any trace as to where they all went.

Sun looked inside the tank to find that it was empty, but there was a yellow light blinking on the center consul in the front of the tank. _"Isn't that the distress beacon?"_ Sun questioned to himself.

Blake looked to the ground to find that there were drag marks on the ground. Whatever was dragged was not too big, same size as a human. And there were what looked like pokes in the ground, lots of them. Blake's eyes started to widen in the realization to where these came from, "Oh no. Sun?"

Blake looked to the tank to find that Sun was gone. She started to hear what sounded like little steps in the ground by sticks, they were coming up behind her. Blake whipped around with her katana out and swung her blade at the creature.

It was a large Grimm Spider, its main body was around the size of Blake, and its legs made it taller than her. It had white armor plating over the top of its body and at the end of each leg.

 _"Black Widows!"_ Blake practically screamed in her head. She slashed it across its face, but did no damage. It swung its front legs at her, she was able to dodge them and then get underneath the spider. She stabbed straight up, causing it to squeak in pain, before curling up its legs and dying.

Blake looked around in the hopes to find her friends, but then she heard someone shouting, it was Sun.

Blake ran after Sun's shouts in the hopes to find him and the others. By the time she caught up to them, they reached where everyone else was tied up. Blake made her way up, while hiding from the spiders in the area.

Blake noticed that there were too many spiders for her to take on alone, so she took a branch from the tree she was on, and threw it to the distance. Most of the spiders went after the sound, although one stayed. The spider was still wrapping Sun up in its web as he continued to resist.

Sun kept thrashing around in the web cocoon he was in, though when he saw Blake not too far away, he stopped immediately. Blake turned her sword into its Sickle mode and threw it at the spider. As the ribbon wrapped around the spider's legs, she pulled hard and made its legs come together. She ran up to hit and stabbed it in between the plates on the main body.

As the spider was dissolving, Blake slowly and quietly made her way to him and cut him down. As she was finished removing the webbing, she started to laugh, "You always seem to get yourself in the weirdest messes."

"That goes double for you too." Sun said as he held her hand tight. "Come on, let's get everyone else down."

They started to cut all the webbing that was holding the company up. One by one, they slowly descended to the ground. The moment they hit the ground, they all started to wake up.

Everyone started to get up fast as they were scraping webbing off of them, Weiss was the most grossed out.

"THIS! IS! DISGUS-!" Weiss was interrupted by Velvet's hand over her mouth.

"You want to let them all know we're here?" Velvet whispered with a hiss.

They all then looked and heard screeches and growls in the trees. "Looks like they already do." Coco said.

Blake and Sun then landed on the ground beside them, Sun spoke first, "We need to get the vehicles. Come on!"

Sun and Blake lead the whole company back to the tank and bikes. Once they got there, there was a group of spiders waiting for them. The whole company attacked the spiders, with each hunter attacking their own spider at first, then more started to come down from the trees.

The problem was, for every spider they kill; two more would come down from the trees to attack them. They were starting to get overwhelmed. They didn't have enough time to start up their engines and get going.

Just as Ruby shot a spider that was about to jump on her, she could see a figure jumping off tree branches in the distance.

After being distracted by the figure, a spider talked Ruby to the ground, she used her scythe to keep its teeth from getting her but it kept chomping at her. Then it squealed in pain and laid its whole body on her.

She pushed it off her and found that there were blades imbedded in its back. The blade was a half blade sword with a green circle at its hilt. Ruby recognized the sword.

Ruby looked up to see a woman with jump down from the trees; she wore green armor plating, similar to the Atlas soldiers, from the waist up, her legs had black armor plating. She had orange hair that extended to her shoulders and curled at the end.

She landed right in the middle of the fight between the company and the spiders. She was wearing some kind of backpack, and more swords came out of it. The sword that stabbed the spider to save Ruby flew to the woman and got in a row with the rest of the other swords.

The woman then swept the swords at the spiders and chopped them up as each blade hit their target. She continued this until more Atlas soldiers arrived to help.

Everyone attacked the spiders until there weren't any of them left.

Once the fight was over, Ruby stared at the woman with tears in her eyes. "PENNY?!"

The woman turned around to Ruby, her face was full of shock and happiness, "RUBY!"

Penny ran to Ruby and tackled her; they both hit the ground hard. "Why?" Ruby groaned.

Penny then stood up and helped Ruby up; they both then spoke in perfect sync, "I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE OKAY!"

Everyone started to smile at a beautiful reunion between friends.

"How did you find us?" Ruby asked.

"We were on patrol and we detected your distress beacon." Penny said as she pointed at the _Grizzly_.

"Faunus!" One of the soldiers shouted as he pointed his gun at Velvet.

"Another one here!" Another soldier said as he pointed his gun at Sun. "Search the others!"

All the soldiers started to search everyone, their heads to find ears, their backs to find tails and their teeth to find fangs. Ruby got nervous about Blake around for her, she was gone.

One of the soldiers walked up to Penny, "Lieutenant, we have two armed Faunus here. What are your orders?"

Penny looked to Ruby with a slightly worried look on her face, "We take them back to base."

As the soldiers were taking the company with them to the base, Ruby walked past Jaune and whispered, "Jaune, where's Blake?"

After hearing Ruby's question, Jaune himself wondered where she went, he looked behind them to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

The soldiers put everyone in a military troop transport that was on the path, while the soldiers drove their vehicles behind them.  
Blake was underneath the _Grizzly_ , holding onto the bottom of it, and praying that they don't hit any potholes.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry it took me so long, had to wrap up finals this week.**

 **Penny is back!**

 **This is kind of how I hope she comes back in the real story, I hope you guys like it.**

 **There will be more of Penny in the next chapter, and we get to see Jaune confront James Ironwood about his positon in Vale.**

 **R &R**


	12. Welcome to the Walls of Atlas

**Welcome to the Walls of Atlas**

* * *

 **AN: I hope you guys are liking my story so far.  
Anyway, on to the story!**

 **I would like to thank Nightengale4698 for beta-reading my story and giving me help with the story.**

* * *

(Days till New Year's Eve: 2 Days/ Just outside the walls of Atlas, around the Quarantine Zone.)

The company was placed into an armored transport truck, driving to the main headquarters of the "Walls of Atlas"

As they were driving, the soldiers in the truck were confiscating their weapons. Yang tried to hide her gauntlets as they were in their bracelet mode, but one of the soldiers saw through her lie and took them anyway.

One by one, they took everyone's weapons; Coco was the angriest for being parted with her handbag.

As they were getting closer to the base, Weiss looked outside the window to see the wall, she was amazed at the size and scale of such a structure. Then she looked ahead to see the main headquarters of the wall and was even more amazed at the size of the fortress.

"Anti-tank canons, anti-air turrets and portable shield generators over critical positions along the wall… Top of the line, Atlas tech." Weiss said.

"You have no idea." Penny said, while sitting across from Weiss, next to Ruby.

Ruby looked to Penny with slight worry in her eyes, "So, what are we going to expect when we get to your base?"

"The general will want to process your Faunus friends, that way he knows they aren't White Fang." Penny said with a calm voice.

"Process? Is that really necessary?" Sun asked with his arms crossed.

"If you knew how many bombings the White Fang have done for the past few months, you'd understand." Penny said with a sad look on her face. "We've lost a lot of people in the past few months."

Weiss raised her hand, "I've been dying to ask, how are you alive? You were torn apart."

Penny looked to Weiss and smile, "Oh, that's simple really." Penny pointed to her head as she explained, "My cranial hard drive has a back-up power system in the event my main battery is damaged or destroyed. All my memories, thoughts and personality are saved in the drive until I am reactivated. After that, it's only a manner of rebuilding my body."

"Which I must say, looks much cooler." Yang said with a smile.

Penny looked down, and then back up to Yang, "Oh, this is just standard armor for any other Atlas soldier. My real body is underneath the suit like anyone else. My body is a lot more durable and stronger than before."

"No kidding, considering you shredded those spiders." Neptune said with a smile.

The convoy they were in reached the main garage of base. As they were all getting out, Jaune noticed that the garage had two doors; one being where they came in, and on the other side that lead to the inside of the Quarantine Zone.

As the company was being lead to the interior of the base, a familiar face greeted them in the main hall.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted with excitement.

Winter smiled at her little sister for a few seconds, but then her smiled faded as she remembered her duties as the second in command of the base. She walked up to the company, standing in a formal manor, "Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, General Ironwood requests to speak with you."

"What about the rest of our friends?" Jaune asked with a suspicious voice.

"They will all remain here." Winter said with a calm collected voice.

"Don't worry, Jaune. We'll wait here." Ren said.

* * *

(General Ironwood's main office in Atlas Wall HQ)

The office had some similarities to the Ozpins and Elrond's Headmaster's offices. There was a rifle mounted on the wall behind Ironwood's desk and a holographic map of the entire Quarantine Zone.

There were two guards standing on either side of the main elevator, both had their rifles pointed down.

The elevator arrived and out came Jaune, Ruby and Winter. Jaune looked around the office and was surprised to find how much he made it look like a Headmaster's office. He saw the holographic map and saw that there was a small city inside the Quarantine Zone. The label above it said, "Lake Town".

Jaune's attention was brought to the general when he spoke, "A while ago I was called into an Inner Circle meeting in Rivendell; unfortunately the wall needed my attention. But a topic that did caught my attention was one I never thought I'd hear; a company of 13 hunters and Qrow, going on a mission to slay a dragon and reclaim Beacon."

Ironwood was facing the window behind him, which looked out to the forest inside the Quarantine Zone. He could see the sun set to the distance, the color and the view was breathtaking.

Ironwood turned around, "At first I thought it was a wasted effort of such brave souls, but then when I learned of whom those 13 were, I suspected something more personal as to reason for this mission." His voice sounded cold and self-righteous. "If you don't mind me asking, how do you intend fulfill such a task?"

Ruby looks to Jaune, he nods 'yes', "We know a way into the old crystal caverns beneath Beacon. Since all the Grimm are above ground, we believe we can get to Smaug below it."

When she mentioned the caverns, Ironwood's eyes widened, "You intend to go into those caverns? Are you even aware of the dangers of that dark place?"

"Everyone in our company is a volunteer, we all know the risk." Jaune said with pride in his voice.

Ironwood couldn't shake the feeling that Jaune knew something he didn't. "And what makes you believe you have any chance in succeeding on your mission?"

"Since you're a part of the Inner Circle, you will know what I am talking about when I say that I'm a Star Knight." Jaune said with a straight face.

To say that Winter was shocked to hear this would be an understatement. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open. _"He's the Star Knight of Vale?!"_

"Yes… I am fully aware who you are, Mr. Arc. And I am full aware of your heritage. I do not believe you are mentally qualified for such a mission." Ironwood said.

"What are you talking about? Jaune's mental state is fine; he's led us from Patch to Rivendell then Rivendell to here. He led us out of the Goblin caves of the southern mountains and he also saved me form Cinder Fall herself, when she ambushed us." Ruby said with a serious voice.

"That's impossible. Cinder Fall has been inside the Quarantine Zone since the wall was put up." Winter said.

"Well I guess your wall isn't as effective as you thought." Jaune said with a smart-alecky voice. "Her gang has attacked us twice; once while we were on our way to Rivendell, the second time she showed up herself. If it wasn't for me, Ruby wouldn't be standing here now." Jaune finished as he looked to Ruby with a relieved look on his face.

Ruby smiled and then spoke with confidence in her voice, "SEE? Jaune is a more qualified leader to this mission than anyone I've ever met."

"No, Ms. Rose, he is not." Ironwood walked towards them with both his hands behind his back, "He still holds onto his guilt for the loss of his partner, it clouds his mind and causes bad decision making. If any of my solders exhibited such behavior, I would have him discharged."

Jaune could feel the anger welling up inside him as Ironwood pointed out his pain as a liability. He could feel that he was going to punch Ironwood for saying all this, but was stopped immediately when he saw Pyrrha standing behind the general. Jaune took a deep breath gave the general a half smile, "Then it's a good thing that I'm not one of your solders. Let us go, and we'll be on our way." Jaune then motioned Ruby to follow him to the elevator.

"No, you will not." Ironwood signaled to the guards.

Both grab Jaune and Ruby, and without their weapons, it wasn't hard to overpower them. The guards pin them to the ground and put glowing handcuffs on them. Right as the cuffs came on, they felt weak, like all their aura was being drained or suppressed.

Ironwood continued to speak as both the guards stand both Ruby and Jaune up, "Don't pretend that you are on this mission to liberate Vale and Beacon, all you seek is revenge, and I will not risk what is left of Vale to you and your vendetta. You and your company will remain here until I say otherwise." Ironwood said as he waved off the soldiers, "Take them all to the brig."

Winter's eyes were wide to hear such orders, once both guards had taken Jaune and Ruby down the elevator, she walked up to him. "With all due respect, general, what the hell was that all about?"

"I am doing what needs to be done to ensure the protection of both Vale and Atlas." Ironwood said as he was working on his computer, he didn't even look to Winter when he said that.

"By locking up the Star Knight of Vale in our brig? How do you think this will go with the council?" Winter asked with worry and anger in her voice.

Ironwood looked to Winter with anger and irritant in his eyes, "He is nowhere near a Star Knight. He may have some of the power, but he is not a full Star Knight yet. In the end he is just a boy looking for revenge over the loss of someone he cared for. And he is willing to risk the destruction of Remnant to get what he wants."

"Surely this doesn't warrant the lockup of his whole company." Winter said, she didn't want to lock up her own sister for this.

"They followed him from Rivendell, they will most likely try to break him out and continue on." Ironwood could see the sadness in his eyes, "Look, I don't want to do this, but it is for the good of Remnant. The rest of his company will thank us for this later."

Winter turned her head away from Ironwood, bit her lower lip at the thought of cursing him out, and then spoke, "How long will you have them locked up?"

"Arc will be imprisoned until we are sure his psyche evaluation is cleared. His company will be released in three days, depending on their behavior. And as for your sister, depending on her behavior, I can have released by tomorrow evening." Ironwood said with a calm voice.

Winter turned to Ironwood and saluted to him, "Thank you, sir." Winter had nothing left to say to her superior, so she left the room without another word.

* * *

(Back with the whole company.)

The company waited right where they were left, in the main hall of the headquarters. They had been waiting there for over twenty minutes. Penny was called away by one of her superiors, so she left the rest of the company alone in the main hall.

Velvet and Sun were 'returned' to their friends after 'processing'. They walked up to the rest of the group.

"That was very invasive." Sun said as he swiped the guard's hand off his shoulder.

"I never want to go through something like that again." Velvet said with anger in her voice.

Just as Coco was about to reassure Velvet twenty Atlesian Knights, lead by an Atlas Security guard, marched towards them. While some had their rifles at the ready, others had blue handcuffs in their hands, the same kind of handcuffs that were put on Ruby and Jaune, which suppressed their aura levels.

"Take them." The guard said with a cold voice.

Three of the soldiers cuffed Ren, Yatsuhashi and Fox before they could react. Ren tried to fight back but she started to go limp. As did Fox and Yatsu.

"HEY!" Yang stood up from her chair and punched the knight that grabbed Fox. Using her aura, she punched the head off the robot. Another robot holding cuffs put one around her right arm as she was retracting her arm from the punch. In response, Yang punched the knight but her punch didn't damage it.

Just as everyone got up to fight along with Yang, the knights pointed their weapons at them. Weiss used her glyphs to put herself between the company and the knight and put her hands up to both.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait!" Weiss shouted to both, she turned to her company; "We can't fight these guys, especially without our weapons." She then turned to the guard in charge of the knights. "We'll go quietly."

The company relaxed after Weiss talked them down. The knights walked up to the company that wasn't cuffed yet and cuffed them.

"Are you sure about this?" Neptune asked Weiss as he was being cuffed.

"Whatever reason they have for doing this must be just." Weiss said while trying to put on a brave face. Then her face turned to anger; _"I am going to kill Jaune and Ruby for getting us in trouble. I can't even leave those two alone before they get us into trouble!"_ Her thought was cut off when she was cuffed next.

* * *

The company was escorted to the prison block. The company was separated into different prison cells. Weiss, Yang and Coco were in the one to the left of Jaune and Ruby. Velvet and Sun were to the right. Neptune, Fox and Yatsuhashi were in the cell opposite of the hall. And to the left of them were Ren and Nora in their own cell.

As the last door closed, Ruby and Jaune walked into the hallway, with an escort. They were both placed into their own cell.

The prison cells were small rooms that could hold up to three people, and the 'door' was a hardlight shield.

Everyone were hitting the walls of their cells, some were trying to find a way out until they heard Weiss shout to them, "Don't bother! This is Atlas grade prison tech. Top-of-the-line. There's no way out unless they let us out."

Penny ran into the prison block looking at everyone's cells. She looked around until she found Ruby, "I'm so sorry Ruby. I had no idea about all this, I swear!"

Ruby could see the honesty in Penny's voice, and she also noticed that she didn't hiccup this time; Ruby remembered the last time she lied she hiccupped. "I believe you, Penny. I don't blame you."

Penny smiled, "Thank you, Ruby. I'll go see if I can get you all some blankets, it's almost lights out."

"Mind telling us what went wrong in that conversation you had with the General?" Weiss asked.

Jaune looked to Ruby, he felt a little afraid at what she would say. Ruby cleared her throat, "Well, the general thinks that we are underqualified to do this." Jaune relaxed and gave Ruby a look that meant 'thank you'.

"Did you tell him about what Jaune is?" Nora asked.

"Yes, and he didn't care." Jaune said with an agitated voice.

"Well, I guess that's it then, huh? There's no way out of this." Coco said with anger in her voice.

"There is one way. And she's out there somewhere." Jaune said, loud enough for the company to hear.

One-by-one they all realized what he meant when they realized that they were a Huntress short.

* * *

(About 40 minutes earlier.)

The armored convoy reached the inside of the base, Blake was using her ribbons to hold her up underneath the tank.

Once the tank came to a stop, she waited until enough of the soldiers were gone for her to make her move. Once the soldiers were gone, she quietly made her way to the main hall.

She could see the rest of the company was being taken. She wanted to help, but she knew that she could help more by breaking them than by fighting now. She waited 5 minutes before she started to follow them.

Blake quietly walked down the corridor that the soldiers took when they arrested her friends, when she walked through she found that there were multiple doorways down the hall. She had no idea which lead to her friends.

She slowly and quietly walked down the hallway, looking down each doorway to see where they lead. No luck on the first four doors. Just as she walked up to the fifth, a patrol started walking down the same hallway as her, she jumped into any open door and sit still until they passed by.

 _"I can't keep doing this. I need a disguise."_ She looked around the room she was in, it was a barracks. She looked through lockers and found an officer's uniform. She put it on over her cloths and put her weapon over her back. _"Winter is an officer and had her own weapon handy, I'm sure they won't care about mine being the same."_

Once she was done getting dressed, she continued down the hallway. She came up to an observation room, it looked like a lounge for the soldiers; it had a few TVs, bookshelves, and game stations. The view was amazing; the stars were so bright through the dome windows.

Blake was surprised to find General Ironwood standing there, holding a data pad. "I know you are there, why are you hiding?"

Blake froze in place. She didn't know what to do. Then Penny walked past her, "I'm sorry, sir. I just didn't want to intrude."

Once Blake saw Penny, she relaxed. "Oh, thank god." Blake started to move towards the entrance that Penny used, quietly.

"I thought I ordered that nest of spiders irradiated a week ago?" Ironwood asked.

"We did, sir. But more spiders keep coming from the east. Intelligence believes they are coming from Dol Guldur. If we send a squad to clear it…" Penny speaks with confidence in her voice, but was interrupted by the general.

"That graveyard is beyond our jurisdiction. It is just beyond the borders of Vale, they can deal with it. You are here to insure the protection of this wall; _that_ is your top priority." Ironwood said.

"What is the point of protecting this wall if we don't protect those behind it? Even if we drive the spiders away from the wall they will spread to the outlands, Vale, or even Vacuo." Penny said with worry in her voice.

"What happens to those lands are of their own concern. We are here to protect Vale from a dragon, not spiders. Vale is more than capable in protecting itself, as is Vacuo." Ironwood said with a cold voice.

"Yes, sir." Penny said with sadness in her voice.

Blake had half a mind to slap the general for abandoning the outlanders and Vale when he had the power to help. But then she continued down the corridor that Penny came from. She couldn't help but stand behind the wall and continue to listen in on their conversation.

Penny turned around to walk down the same corridor, but was stopped by Ironwoods words, "I am aware of your 'fondness' for Ms. Rose, and I would like to know where your loyalty lies, lieutenant?"

Penny turned to face him; she stood straight up, "My loyalties lie with the protection of Remnant and its people."

Ironwood smiled, "Good. You'll be making your father proud." Ironwood then turned around, sat down and looked onto his data pad as before.

 _"What's the point in having this duty if I'm not protecting anybody?"_ Penny thought as she walked away.

Just as Penny reached the corridor, Blake turned around fast and walked away. Penny didn't get a good look at the woman who just passed by, but when she saw the weapon she had over her shoulder, she knew who it was.

At first Penny's eyes were wide, and then she started to smile. But her smile vanished at the thought of helping Blake. _"I can't help them. It's against what I was made for."_

Penny followed Blake through the base by was then stopped by a soldier who was carrying boxes. "Lieutenant, you requested blankets and pillows for the prisoners?" He was holding boxes of blankets and pillows.

Penny looked past the soldier to find that Blake was gone, _"I'll get her later."_ She then turned her attention to the soldier, "Yes, I'll take them to them. You're relieved for the night."

The soldier handed her the boxes and saluted, "Yes, ma'am, thank you."

* * *

(Not far from Atlas HQ, on the side outside of the Quarantine Zone.)

Adam and his company of White Fang assassins were all hidden in the woods. Adam was just standing there, looking at the main gate. One of the assassins walked up to him.

"What's the plan, sir? Storm the castle?" The assassin asked.

"No. We don't have enough men for that. We need to find a quiet way in." Adam said as he looked at all the gates.

"All the gates are guarded, there's no way in without a fight." Another assassin said.

"Maybe not out here." Adam said with a devious smile, "Come on, I know a way around the wall."

As Adam walked off, all the assassins followed him back to the trucks and drove off.

* * *

(10 minutes to lights out in the base)

Penny walked into the brig and put down the boxes. She placed the folded blankets and pillows threw the slots in the walls. They all may know that Penny had nothing to do with their imprisonment, but that didn't make everything better.

Penny looked to Ruby and Jaune's cell. While Ruby was laying out the blankets and pillows on the floor, Jaune was sitting against the wall, looking at his cross and Pyrrha's jewel.

Penny immediate recognized the jewel; she also knows everything that happened after her 'death'. "Mr. Arc…"

Jaune looked to her; he had a bit of sadness in his eyes, "Yes?"

"I just want you to know… I don't hold what your partner did against her. It wasn't her fault, she was being manipulated." Penny said with a serious voice.

"How do you know?" Jaune asked with a bit of curiosity in his voice.

"I reviewed the data of the battle between me and her, there was something wrong. There was something that shouldn't have been there." Penny said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

This got the whole company's attention. Everyone who looked like they were about to go to sleep moved to their walls to listen in.

"Well, before I was broken, I detected a third aura pattern in the arena. At first I thought my sensors were faulty after fighting for so long, but after I was repaired, I discovered something." Penny explained. She then pulled out her scroll and projected the fight that they had.

"Now if you see here," Penny pointed to herself in the image, and then changed the image to 'false-color' mode, there was a green light forming around Penny and an orange one around Pyrrha. "What you see here is our auras, mine and Pyrrha's." She then plays the video, every time Pyrrha used her semblance, her aura would shift around. "And here you can see when she uses her semblance. Now look at this."

Penny then fast forwards to when Pyrrha starts to look scared, just before she showed fear, a green sphere moved towards her from behind and enveloped her head. "Here, you see this orb of green, that is another semblance."

"So you're saying someone else used their semblance while you two were fighting?" Weiss asked.

Penny looked to Weiss and nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know who?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." Penny then changed the image to Coco and Yatsuhashi double's round. She then zoomed in on Emerald, "Her."

"Emerald Sustrai?" Coco asked with anger in her voice.

"Yes. It appears that her semblance can make you see and hear what isn't there." Penny said to Coco, then turned to Yang. "She also was the reason why you attacked Mercury Black."

Yang's eyes went red and her hair caught fire, "I KNEW IT! I knew I wasn't going crazy! IT was her the whole time!"

"Yes, she made you attack Mercury and then made you believe that you injured him." Penny said with a calm voice. She then walked towards Jaune, "And she did the same with your partner, Ms. Nikos."

Jaune started to smile a little and whispered, "I knew it wasn't her fault…"

Penny then turned off the scroll and walked up to Ruby and Jaune's cell. "It's lights out in two minutes. I'll come by tomorrow morning with breakfast for all of you."

Ruby gave a warm smile to Penny, "Thanks."

Penny had a face of sadness yet a little bit of happiness. "I'm _really_ sorry, Ruby. I'll try to make this up to you, I promise."

Ruby only nodded as Penny walked away. As if on que, the lights through the brig dimmed, then they heard a man on the intercom, "Lights out."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry it took me so long to write this one, writing the conversation between Ironwood and Jaune was harder than I had originally thought.**  
 **I hope you guys like the way I had changed it.**

 **I know it's short, but the best part will be coming next chapter.**

 **As always, R &R**


	13. Escape from Atlas HQ

**Escape from Atlas HQ**

* * *

 **AN: What comes next is something I've been looking forward to writing.  
I hope it's to your liking.**

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder had just arrived after the long drive from Dol Guldur. It was about midnight at the time. Emerald and Mercury were at the front gate to greet her.

"How did it go?" Mercury asked.

"Not too bad. I learned that we will be reaching Phase 4 very soon." Cinder said as she walked past him.

They both followed her as they all walked towards the elevator. "Well it's about damn time. We've been waiting for that for more than two years." Mercury said with irritation in his voice.

"Do not worry, Mercury, we are almost there." Cinder pressed the button on the elevator. "How goes the progress of our guest?"

"Same as when you left: whatever method we try gets blocked by that aura signature. Speaking of witch, we believe we know who it originally belonged to." Emerald said.

"I already know. It was the knight who did this to me." Cinder said as she raised up her glass hand. "My mistress has informed me on what it is, she also said that it won't last forever." The elevator door opened at the second to top floor that was Cinder's personal quarters. "Keep trying until you get results."

"Yes, ma'am." Mercury said.

Emerald couldn't stop herself from asking, "By the way, how did she get it anyway?"

"She kissed him before she confronted me. No doubt it was a 'goodbye' kiss." Cinder said with a devious smile.

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage on our 'reconditioning'." Emerald said with a look that would show that she had an idea.

"Well, whatever advantage you think we have, save it for tomorrow; I want to see it for myself. I think we've all done enough for one day." Cinder said, "We wouldn't want her body to break before we break her will." She finished with a devious smile as the elevator doors close between her and her 'partners'.

* * *

(Days till New Year's Eve: 1 day)

Blake was lucky enough to find a small and quiet place to hid and sleep in until the next morning. Once she woke up she continued her search for her friends in the brig.

After about an hour of looking she ended up in the armory instead. She saw everyone's weapons in one locker, all together. She could tell that the only way into that locker was with a key card, a card that one of the two soldiers in the room had.

Both soldiers had their backs facing her, so she had the first move. Blake pressed the door lock on the door and then killed the lights. The soldiers quickly drew their weapons and turned on their flash lights.

"What the hell?" One of the soldiers said with a nervous voice.

"Think it's the White Fang?" The other asked.

The other soldier didn't answer; the soldier looked to the other and found that he was on the ground unconscious. He was both scared and shocked that he didn't even hear him go down, let alone hear him get knocked out.

He slowly walked over to the other soldier slowly, trying not to move too fast. He could feel his hand shaking on his gun, "Where are you, Faunus?"

"Right here." Blake whispered right behind the nervous soldier.

He turned quickly and was met with the sheath to Gambol Shroud to his face. He hit the ground hard, unconscious. She checked his pockets and pulled out the key-card.

After turning the lights back on, she walked over to the locker; she swiped the card and opened it. Blake then pulled up a cart that was large enough to hold all the weapons and fill it up with all of them. She moved the unconscious soldiers behind the front desk so that nobody could see them as they passed by the door. Once they were in place and all the weapons were concealed in the cart she walked out of the armory.

She was able to find where the brig was when she discovered a map in the main barracks of the base. She studied the way to the brig and to the garage from there.

Blake then made her way to the brig, quietly praying that no one would stop her for any reason along the way.

* * *

Penny was in her quarters, pacing back and forth. She looked frustrated; she couldn't make heads or tails of what to do. She decided to leave the room and walk around the base; walking for a few miles normally helped her calm down whenever she was stressed about something.

As she was walking down a corridor, she saw Blake again. This time she was pushing a cart, a suspiciously large cart. Penny was both happy and worried, _"She's going to break them out."_ Penny decided she would follow Blake, quietly.

* * *

"Sun must be rising by now." Velvet said.

The whole company was awake; all sitting in their cells, waiting for whatever came next.

"We're not going to make it to the door in time." Nora said with a sad voice. Ren tried to comfort her by giving her a hug.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." a familiar voice echoed in the hallway. Everyone jumped up to find Blake standing there, in an Atlas uniform and with a large cart with her.

"Blake!" Ruby said with joy in her eyes.

Everyone started to cheer but were shushed by Blake, "We need to be quiet. There are guards everywhere."

"How'd you keep from getting caught?" Weiss asked.

"It's cause she's a ninja." Sun said with a smile.

Blake starts to work on the keypad, pulls out the main cover out and looks for the rights wires to cross.

* * *

Outside the entrance to the brig, Penny was standing there, her back against the wall. Her face looked happy at first, then she show that she was starting to worry.

 _"If they leave, they can continue their mission and free Vale of Smaug. But the General ordered us to keep all of them detained, and i can't go against my orders."_ She started to pace as she thought hard. _"But my states... no, my purpose of existence is to serve and protect the people. Not just those from Atlas or Vale, but all of Remnant. Even if it means going against orders form my suppressor."_ She gripped her fists tight, and then walked into the brig.

* * *

Blake was still working on the keypad, "Hold on, I think i know what wires to cross now."

"You won't have to." Penny said.

Everyone looked to find Penny standing at the entrance to the cell block. She had a cold look on her face, which made everyone nervous. She then grew a smile, "Type in 4256." Blake smiled and pressed the numbers; all the cell shields dropped. Everyone walked out of their cells. Ruby ran to Penny and gave her a hug, "Thank you."

Penny returned the hug, "That's what friends are for." Penny then let go of Ruby, "Come on, I'll take you to your vehicles."

"Wait. Why are you helping us?" Weiss asked with suspicion.

Everyone looked to Penny for her answer; Penny stood tall and spoke, "My primary purpose is to ensure the safety of Remnant, at any cost. I believe helping you will help me achieve that purpose."

Jaune started to smile, _"Even machines have destinies."_ "Sounds good to me. Let's go."

"Not without these." Blake said as she opened the crate to reveal everyone's weapons inside.

Nora gave Blake a strong hug, "I LOVE YOU SISTER!"

"Nora… too hard…" Blake groaned.

Everyone grabbed their weapons and put them in their stand-by modes.

"Come on, this way." Penny said while motioning everyone to follow her.

* * *

As Penny was leading the company to the garage, carefully, alarms began to go off.

"I guess they checked the armory." Blake said with a half-smile.

"Sprint to the garage!" Jaune said.

Nobody hesitated to follow that order; they ran all the way to the garage to find that there were a few soldiers on guard.

Blake and Sun took out the soldiers on the catwalks, while Fox and Ren took out the soldiers guarding the _Grizzly_.

Jaune and Yang hopped on their bikes at the same time as everyone was getting into the Grizzly. Before jumping down to join the others, Blake hit the switch to open the door on the catwalk.

Yatsu wanted to wait until Blake got onboard, but Jaune motioned for him to go. Yatsu followed Jaune's orders and drove out of the garage and into the Quarantine Zone.

"Yang, go ahead and stick with them, I'll get Blake." Jaune said as he was powering up his bike. Yang nodded and rode off after the others.

Blake jumped down from the catwalk, at the same time, soldiers came out of the door they came form.

"Stop them!" One of the officers shouted.

"Blake! Come on!" Jaune shouted as he started his bike.

Blake ran to him and jumped onto his bike as he revved the engine and drove full throttle out of the garage.

Winter walked into the garage in time to see them leave, she pulled out her scroll and pressed a contact, "West Gate 3, you got incoming! Seal the gate now!"

* * *

As Yatsu was driving down the path into the Quarantine Zone, he saw something in the distance. "Uh, guys. We got a road block!"

Everyone looked to the front and saw that there was a smaller perimeters fence up ahead. They could see guards at the watch towers and at the gate.

"Stop! That gate's too strong for the _Grizzly_!" Weiss shouted to Yatsuhashi.

Yatsu slammed on the breaks immediately. Yang did the same when she saw the fence ahead. They both stopped just short of the gate, all the guards had their rifles pointing at them.

Ruby looked out the window and saw that one of the guards was shot and fell off the watch tower. Weiss looked to her right and saw White Fang assassins coming at them. "White Fang!"

All the soldiers at the gate turned their attention to the White Fang instead of the company.

Jaune and Blake rode up to the gate to find a little bit of a battle happening. Jaune looked ahead and saw the large gate. _"We can't break through that."_

Jaune's thought was cut short when the top hatch to the Grizzly opened and Sun jumped out. Neptune came out next and Ren. Sun ran towards the watch tower while Ren and Neptune were shooting at the White Fang assassins. Yang did her best to provide cover fire for Sun while he was climbing.

Blake could only watch as one of her closest friends risked his life to open the gate. She then started shooting at any White Fang assassins she could see.

Sun ran to the tower and started to climb up it from the side. He was dodging bullets and arrow from the White Fang the whole way up.

Adam Taurus walked his way into the fight, he looked to the company, "They're pinned down unless someone can open that gate." Adam looked up to the watch tower and saw Sun climbing up it. He drew his sword and converted the sheath into a shotgun.

Sun reached the top balcony of the tower and moved for the door inside. He was stopped when he felt something go through his right leg. He looked down to find that he had been shot. He fell to his knees and grunted at the pain.

"SUN!" Blake shouted in horror.

Adam recognizes the voice of the shout, "Blake." He saw that she was on the bike with the knight that he was sent to kill. He started make a devious smile, "Now you will watch him die." Adam cocked his weapon and pointed it at Sun again.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a green blade hit his shotgun and made him miss his shot. The blade flew back to its owner; Adam looked to see Penny standing on top of the _Grizzly_.

"KILL THE ANDROID!" Adam shouted as he pointed at Penny.

More assassins charged at Penny as per Adam's orders. Penny moved fast and cut down as many White Fang as she could. Unlike last time, these White Fang warriors were faster; every time she swung her blades in a 'one after the other' fashion, most would dodge them. She was able to get a few lucky shots in but she started to feel overwhelmed.

Just as more were about to attack Penny, ice shards started to fly towards the attackers from the side. Penny looked to find her superior officer, Winter Schnee, along with more Atlas soldiers, charging form the base.

Winter attacked the assassins and mowed them down. The Atlas soldiers engaged the assassins as best they could while taking a few casualties themselves.

Sun took this opportunity to get up and get into the tower. He pressed the door release and opened the gate for the company.

Penny shot her blades at the top of the tower and pulled herself up. She picked up Sun and jumped down to the _Grizzly_.

Once he was inside, they sealed the hatch, "Drive!" Weiss shouted.

Yatsu floored the accelerator. Yang and Jaune revved up their engines and followed them down the path, leaving the battle behind them.

Adam saw them leave and grew angry, "AFTER THEM!"

As soon as he said that, a few trucks and bikes rode up to him, carrying White Fang members. Adam jumped in the back of one of the trucks and tapped the roof. They then rode after the company.

Winter saw Adam charge after her sister and her company, as one of the White Fang soldiers was riding past her; she knocked him off the bike, picked it up and rode off after them.

* * *

 **(AN: If an RWBY song were to be playing right now, "Caffeine" would be the song. ;))**

The company drove down the path fast; things got worse when the path lead them down a steep incline.

Yatsu was trying his best not to lose control down the hill; Yang and Jaune were desperately doing the same.

Blake could see that there were White Fang assassins running through the trees and following them on vehicles form behind. "We got company!"

"Engage at will, but keep moving forward!" Jaune said as he drew his pistol.

As Yatsu was driving, a spear broke through his side window. The spear missed him by inches. He looked to the assassin holding it; he grabbed the spear and pulled it into the tank more, hard. He made the assassin hit the tank as he was pulled in, then he pushed the spear out and through the assassin off.

From inside the tank, the company could hear people jumping on top. Neptune opened the top hatch and climbed out, followed by Ren and Velvet.

Neptune shot the first assassin off then turned his weapon into its trident mode and blade-locked with a second one.

Ren got into a blade fight with an assassin that had two knives as her weapons. They swung their blades at each other until a blast knocked her off the tank. Ren looked to the hatch to see that it was Nora with her grenade launcher.

Velvet made her holo-gauntlets and started shooting at the trucks that were chasing them. The White Fang trucks got close enough for their troops to jump onto the tank. Velvet jumped onto one of the trucks and attacked the passengers.

Neptune and Ren followed her lead and jumped on different trucks.

* * *

Yang could see assassins on bikes following her, they were getting close. She set her bike to cruise control and quickly turned her body around. She fired a few shots at the bikes chasing her, a few were knocked down or blown up, but there were a few assassins with swords that blocked her shots. Yang turned around and continued down the hill.

Jaune and Blake both were shooting their guns at the assassins in the trees.

"Reloading!" Jaune said as he dropped the magazine in his pistol and grabbed the next one. Blake tried her best to cover for him while he was reloading.

An assassin was about to jump on them but was stopped when Blake stood up on the bike and kicked him in the face.

Jaune looked to see that more White Fang jumped on the tank, Fox and Ruby climbed out to fight them. The back door of the tank was open, there he saw Nora shooting her grenades at the trucks that were following.

Jaune then heard a truck come up behind them fast. He made a quick look and saw that Adam was standing on top of the truck, drawing his sword from its sheath. Jaune could tell by the way Adam was looking at him, he was here for him, not Ruby.

"I'll be back, don't stop!" Jaune said as he pulled his sword from its sheath and switched seats with Blake. Blake quickly took control of the bike but was completely clueless to what Jaune was doing.

"What are you doing?" Blake said as she took the handle bars.

"Need to take care of something." Jaune said as he jumped off the back of his bike and onto the hood of the tank.

Jaune made the first move and attacked Adam with a diagonal swing of his sword. Adam responded with a simple block and then kicked Jaune in the chest. Jaune backed up, almost falling off the truck but then regained his balance.

Jaune swung his sword fast, like he did with the Ursa during the Breach; Adam was fast enough to block every blow. Adam didn't show it, but he was actually having difficulties blocking the powerful attacks from the knight.

Jaune powered up his blade and swung his sword horizontally, Adam was able to block the blade and absorb some of its energy.

Jaune was surprised by this, "How did…?"

"Energy absorption." Adam said with a confident smile. He sheathed his sword and energized it. With a swift move he swung his blade out from its sheath at Jaune. Adam put all his power int to this move, like he did with the spider robot on the train a few years ago. Jaune blocked Adam's blade with his own, while both were glowing bright.

Adam's eyes opened wide under his mask, _"How is that possible? No one can block that attack!"_

* * *

Winter was driving as fast as she could, passing a few enemy trucks on her way down. She would either slash their tires or freeze half the truck to stop a White Fang Truck form following her. _"Hang on, Weiss. I'm coming."_

* * *

Back at the Grizzly, Weiss was doing her best to defend the tank from the passenger side and keep them on the trail. "Yatsu, be ready to make a hard left at the river."

Yatsu looked on ahead and discovered that it would be difficult. "Uh, Weiss…"

Weiss looked ahead and discovered that the left turn was blocked by a rockslide.

Neptune, Ren and Velvet finished off the trucks they attacked and jumped back onto the tank with the others. They looked on ahead and saw what Yatsuhashi discovered.

"Gun it!" Weiss said.

Yatsu replied by flooring the accelerator. Everyone on top of the tank grabbed onto the tank to make sure that they wouldn't fall off.

The tank drove off the trail and landed in the river. At the same time, Weiss hit the blue button on the center console in the tank. The _Grizzly's_ wheals rotated downward and turned into downward thrusters, converting the _Grizzly_ into hovercraft-mode.

"Continue downstream!" Weiss said as she pointed down the river.

Yatsuhashi smiled and drove down river at top speed.

* * *

Yang and Blake saw the Grizzly go into the river; they were shocked to see it as if nothing happened. While the tank continued, they were running out of road fast. Yang could see that there was a rock formation that looked remarkably similar to a ramp. "Blake! Follow me!"

Blake looked to see the ramp and followed behind Yang. They both revved their engines to full and went up the ramp; they flew far enough to land on the opposite side of the river.

Back with Jaune and Adam, they continued their sword fight, Jaune was facing front and saw the Yang and Blake jump over the river. The driver slammed on the breaks but they were going too fast to slow down in time. Jaune and Adam both held onto the truck so that they wouldn't fall off.

Just as the truck was about to hit the river, it froze. The truck drove over the frozen river and drove onto the trail on the other side of the river, following Blake and Yang on their bikes.

Jaune looked behind them to see Winter following them on a bike. Jaune quickly turned around and blocked Adam's attack before he could strike him. Winter jumped off the bike and kicked Adam off of Jaune.

* * *

Downstream, the company did their best to keep the assassins off the tank. Some were jumping out of the trees and onto the tank, only to be either shot or thrown off by the team members. Neptune immediately dove into the tank and buckled himself inside.

Penny climbed out of the tank and used her blades to block the gunfire from the White Fang Marksmen in the trees while everyone else was covering her.

* * *

While Winter continued to attack Adam; Jaune looked to the left of the tank to see that Blake was coming up next to them.

Jaune jumped on the back of the bike, drew his pistol and shot some of the White Fang that were trying to attack them from the trees to their right.

Jaune looked at his pistol to see that he was down to one bullet. He heard from behind that Winter was knocked down by Adam.

Adam held his sword high, in a stabbing position. Jaune didn't even hesitate; he energized the bullet in the pistol, aimed for the truck and then fired.

The bullet few towards the front left tire, it exploded on impact. The truck flipped forward, sending Adam flying and Winter off the truck. She landed perfectly for the truck to fly right over her and miss her.

* * *

Adam landed in the tree line, a White Fang biker rode up next to him, he hopped on and they drove away. "Fall back! We'll get them later!" Adam said into his radio. Any of the other assassins that weren't taken out or killed in the fight followed him.

* * *

Winter stood up from where she landed and looked ahead to see Jaune and Blake drive away.

She was surprised that Jaune had saved her, he didn't owe her anything, yet he saved her all the same. _"Maybe he isn't as far gone as Ironwood thinks."_

Winter didn't notice, but a White Fang soldier came up behind her with a knife in his hand, ready to stab her in the back. The knife was shot out of his hand from behind him.

Winter quickly turned and kicked the White Fang soldier in the head, knocking him out. Winter then let out a sigh of relief when she recognized the trucks coming down the path as Atlas.

"Major Schnee, are you ok?" One of the soldiers asked as he jumped out of the truck.

"I'm fine." Winter said as she tried to stand up, the soldiers helped her up.

"What should we do with him?" The soldier said as he pointed his rifle at the unconscious Faunus.

"We take him in for questioning. Adam Taurus himself led this attack. Whatever he was here for must be important." Winter said.

"What about the escaped prisoners? They have Lieutenant Polendina." Another soldier said.

Winter knew better than to think that they captured her, she was angered that she was willing to disobey orders and break them out, but at the same time she was happy that she broke Weiss out too. "We need to get back to HQ now; we'll worry about the prisoners later."

"But the Lieutenant…" The soldier sounded worried.

"She'll be fine. They won't harm her." Winter said with a confident look on her face.

* * *

(Further downstream.)

They continued downstream for about ten miles before they all stopped to rest. Yatsu brought the tank out of the river and landed it. Weiss turned off the hover-mode, allowing the tank to roll on land.

"You know… You could have told us that the tank could do that a long time ago." Neptune said. "You know I don't like water."

"I didn't think we needed it, so I didn't mention it." Weiss said with an innocent look on her face.

"Alright, everyone out, we need to stretch our legs." Coco said as she made her way out of the tank.

Jaune got off the bike and started looking at his ammo belt, "Great, I used my last magazine in that fight."

"I'm empty too." Nora said as she closed her grenade launcher.

"Same here." Yang said as she checked her gauntlets.

Jaune looked around to find that everyone had similar news, he let out a sigh, "Coco, break out our reserve ammunition. From now until we reach Beacon we need to ration our bullets."

Coco looked into the cargo hold of the Grizzly and growled with anger, "Jaune, we have a problem."

Jaune and Ruby walked up to her, while everyone simply looked to see what all the fuss was about.

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

"When we were 'arrested', the soldiers cleared us out. They took our rations, our stored ammo, …even our reserve fuel tanks." Coco said as she showed them the empty cargo hold.

"Well… we're in the worst position to possibly be in at this point." Neptune said while he was pulling Sun out of the tank with his right arm over his shoulder. Ren was helping him holding Sun on the other side.

"What's the plan, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Jaune looked to Sun, he walked over to him, looked at the wound while Ren was cleaning it.

"How bad?" Jaune asked.

"He's lucky. The bullet just missed his artery. Went straight through, missed his bones too." Ren said while he was splashing water from the river on it to clean it.

Jaune looked to Sun, "How do you feel?"

"Like hell. But I'll live." Sun grunted. Blake walked up to him and gave him a tight hug.

Jaune looked down to Ren, "Patch him up, we need to keep moving. Everyone else, take a few minutes break, we continue on in five."

Ren nodded to Jaune then continued to work on Sun's wound. The rest of the company didn't waste any time.

* * *

Blake stayed by Sun's side, holding his hand while he was being bandaged. It hurt a lot for Sun when Ren wrapped a damp cloth over the wound, but with Blake at his side, he could bear the pain.

Neptune walked more towards the tree line, trying to stay away from the water, claiming that he was putting that area on 'lockdown'. Nora and Fox joined him in order to keep him company.

Coco, Yatsuhashi and Weiss started working on whatever repairs were necessary for the Grizzly while they were there.

Ruby, Yang and Penny walked along the river's edge, and placed their bare feet in the water. They talked together, mostly about what it was like for Penny when she was 'killed'. Ruby got slapped upside the head for asking the question, thinking Penny would get mad for asking. But Penny just laughed and explained how 'sensational' it was.

Jaune worked on his bike, he had his sword in his shield, resting on a rock behind him and his pistol on his belt, which was resting on the seat of the bike.

As he was working on it, Jaune noticed a shadow over his bike, a shadow that he didn't recognize. He looked up to find a man wearing steel-black and yellow armor, standing on a rock above him, holding a battle rifle.

Jaune quickly reached for his sword, but was cut off when a bullet hit the rock that his weapons were resting on. The rock exploded, sending Jaune's weapons too far out of reach for him to use.

Ren quickly turned when he heard the first shot. He was out of bullets to use, so he picked up a rock and made ready to throw hard. But when he wound up his hand to throw, the rock was shot out of his hand.

Everyone looked to the stranger in armor after both shots were fired. They froze, they were out of bullets, and they were too far away to make a difference against this man. All they could do was wait for something to happen.

"Try that again, and you die." The man said with a serious voice.

Judging by this man's posture, weapon, and armor he had, Jaune could tell that this wasn't an ordinary soldier. His armor had very few armor plates, much like Jaune's. He may have had a serious voice but he didn't sound too much like a soldier to Jaune, more like an average person, only he had a military grade weapon in his hand. Then Jaune remembered that there was a village in the center of the lake that they needed to cross, this man could be from it.

"You're from Lake-Town aren't you?" Jaune asked, holding his hands up and slowly standing up.

"Aye." The man nodded.

"Well, uh… We happen to be on our way there." Jaune slowly walked around the big rock and moved towards the man. "Sorry for that back there, we ran into the White Fang a few miles up the river and we're still a little jumpy."

The man kept his rifle on Jaune as he climbed. "I can understand. You're all hunters, aren't you?"

Everyone remained silent; Jaune walked up to the man and stopped when he reached two feet from him. "Yes. We're from Beacon Academy. You're a huntsman yourself, I imagine?"

"You would be right. I came from Beacon too." The man still had his rifle pointing at Jaune, but he lowered it enough so that he could look Jaune in the eye.

Jaune lowered his hands; he looked down the other side of the rock and saw that there was a ferry boat docked. He looked back to the huntsman, "We would be willing to pay for passage into Lake Town, if you're open for it?"

The huntsman lowered his gun, looked to the rest of the company then to Jaune, "What makes you think I would help you?"

"You look like you could use the money. You're old enough to be a family man, I'm guessing?" Jaune asked. "How many kids? Two?"

"Three: a boy and two girls." The huntsman said while he was putting his rifle over his shoulder.

Everyone down below started to relax after that. Yang was rather surprised to find that Jaune had become a lot less awkward when it came to talking to people.

"I take it that your wife is taking care of them while you're here?" Jaune asked.

"No. She passed away a year ago." The huntsman said as he lowered his eyes.

Jaune bit his lower lip, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry… I'm over it." The huntsman said after he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I can't help you." The huntsman started walking down the rock to the ferry.

Jaune jumped down from the rock and landed next to the huntsman, "Look, we're exhausted, we have wounded, and we're out of ammo. We need help."

The huntsman looked to Jaune, "You came from the Walls, and obviously you didn't leave on the best of terms with them. Otherwise you wouldn't be low on supplies." The huntsman then pointed down the river and pointed at Lake Town in the distance, "The Mayor of Lake Town gets trade from the wall, and he'd rather see you eaten by Grimm than help fugitives from Atlas."

"What if we talked to him, I'm sure we can convince him to help us." Weiss said as she came out from behind the rock.

Jaune looked to see that everyone else had gathered where Weiss had come from, and gave a half smile.

"I highly doubt that." The huntsman said to Weiss with a less than confident look on his face.

"Well how about you give us a chance to try. From one huntsman to another, please, help us." Jaune said with a desperate look on his face. Jaune was never one to beg to a stranger for help, but when it came to his friend's safety, to hell with his pride.

The huntsman looked to the rest of the company, more closely at Sun and Blake. He was sort of moved when he saw that Sun was wounded, and Blake was helping him to stand. He let out a sigh of irritation, "Get your stuff onboard. We leave in three minutes."

"Thank you." Jaune said with a very thankful voice. He held out his hand to the huntsman, "I'm Jaune by the way."

The huntsman smiled a little and then raised his hand to meet Jaune's, "David Washington, but most people I know call me 'Wash'."

* * *

 **AN: Yup that is Wash, I hope you guys like his introduction into my story.**

 **Please R &R**

 **ARKOS!**


	14. Discovery of the dark plan Meeting the

**Discovery of the dark plan / Meeting the Mayor**

* * *

 **AN: What you read about Qrow happened at the same time as the company escaped Atlas.**

 **As always, I would like to thank Nightengale4698 for beta-reading my story and giving me help with the story.**

* * *

(About four hours before the company had awoken from their sleep in the brig of the Wall of Atlas.)

Qrow had finally reached his destination after traveling for a day. He was able to catch a break of flying when he reached the coast of the continental strips. He flew close to one of the mountains and landed near a cave. The cave had iron bars around it; they were damaged and broken through, from the inside out.

When Qrow landed he changed back into his human form. He grabbed onto the bars, to keep himself from falling off the edge when the ground beneath him started to give way. When he stabilized himself he realized just how solid these bars, not even when his full weight was on it, they didn't even move. Whatever broke through these bars were incomprehensibly strong.

As Qrow walked deeper into the cave, he walked into a large cavern that hollowed out the inside of the mountain. It was too dark for him to see into the cavern, he held up Ozpin's cane and made the diamond dust shard glow to help him see.

The cavern was not natural; it was built with crafted stone, really old stones. He could tell by the way the stone looked that it had been there for centuries, maybe longer.

Qrow saw a small 'doorway' across the hole from where he was standing. He walked down a walkway along the walls of the cavern. Once he reached the door he saw that there were bars similar to the ones outside; there were markings along the doorway, written in a long forgotten language that he could not understand.

"I bet Glynda or Ozpin might have a clue as to what these things say." Qrow thought as he ran his fingers over the carved markings. He then walked around the bars and into the room they were once covering.

He walked into the room and discovered a tomb. It was a small corridor, with a stone casket at the end. As he walked closer to it, the light showed him that the casket was cracked; the rock that was used to cover the top was smashed into pieces.

Qrow moved closer to it, holding his sword and cane at the ready for a fight, if needed. He was caught off guard when a sparrow bird flew out of the casket and flew past him. He quickly turned around, to watch the bird leave the cave and found that there was someone standing behind him.

Qrow shined the cane at the man and revealed it to be Radagast. "Oh, it's just you." Qrow said with a sigh of irritation and relief.

"Why am I here, Qrow?" Radagast said as he took off his hat. The sparrow landed on his head into a birds nest in his hair. Radagast put his hat back on his head to cover the bird. "This is not a good place to meet."

Qrow walked out of the tomb, past Radagast and back out to the cavern. "Believe me, Radagast; I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't important."

Qrow walked up the walkway, Radagast walked up behind him. Radagast looked to the markings on the walls, brushing his fingers over the carvings in the stone.

"What is all that?" Qrow asked.

"These are dark spells. Old. I mean, really old. And full of hate." Radagast said with a slightly annoyed look on his face. "The age that these markings were first made was a dark time, long before the great war." Radagast looked all around the entrance, hoping to find a name, or any other means of know who it was, "Who's buried here?"

"No idea, but whatever her name was, it has long been dead to her." Qrow said with a little anger, "The only name she would be remembered by would be the "Winter Witch"."

Radagast could feel a chill run down his spine. He looked at the ground; he laid his hand on it and realized that it was damp, like water was once poured on it, or ice. Unintentionally, he looked down into the deep dark cavern and saw that there were more tombs below them.

"She was the first to betray her vows, to betray her loyalties to the people of Remnant for more power. The first of five." Qrow said as he made his cane glow brighter and show four more tombs.

"The Dark Maidens and Black Knights." Radagast said with fear in his voice.

* * *

Qrow and Radagast exited the cave and went down to the roots of the mountains. Qrow changed into his crow form and flew to the bottom while Radagast formed an energy sphere around him and slid down the steep edge of the mountain.

Once they both reached the bottom, Qrow changed back into a human. It was clear on Radagast's face that he was scared beyond terror.

"How is this possible, Qrow?" Radagast asked with fear in his voice. "I don't understand!"

"The Nazgul have been summoned to Dol Guldur, you found that out yourself." Qrow said.

"But there's no way that it could be the Necromancer. A human sorer could not control them." Radagast said.

"Who said he had to?" Qrow said as he looked to Radagast. Radagast had a clueless look on his face, so Qrow clarified, "Yes, he brought them back, but that doesn't mean he controls them. He's just another pawn on a much larger game."

"Who's game?" Radagast asked.

"Every single one of those traitors has only ever answered to one person when they were alive. And I have a feeling that _she_ may be back." Qrow said with anger in his voice.

"You can't mean…" Radagast said with fear in his voice and his eyes.

"We've been so distracted by our trivial affairs between kingdoms that we've been blind to darker things. She is summoning her servants."

"You said the Necromancer was just another pawn, who else is there?" Radagast asked.

"Cinder Fall… I knew something was off from the start, with her and her cronies being able to take down a Fall Maiden and steal her powers. And now Cinder Fall is the first Dark Maiden in centuries." Qrow said with anger, he gripped the cane tight, making his knuckles white.

"But why? Why would she go to such lengths to bring up such a servant?" Radagast asked.

"She's getting ready to start a second Great War." Qrow said. "It will begin in Vale. She is fixated on Beacon; no doubt she wants her gift to Vale, the Arkenstone, back."

 **(Not to confuse anybody, but no, the Arkenstone is not the One Ring in this story. That is a story for another time. ( _Wink_ ))**

Qrow walked past Radagast, "Where are you going?" Radagast asks.

"I need to get back to my company, they need me." Qrow says, he puts his cane and scythe over his shoulder and stands in the position he makes as he's about to change. Radagast stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait!" Radagast shouts, successfully stopping Qrow from leaving. "You can't just leave."

"I put them on this path. They're in trouble, they need my help!" Qrow said.

"If what you say is true… Then the whole world is in trouble." Radagast says as he lets go of Qrow, then he points in south of where they were standing. "The power in that fortress is only going to get stronger with each passing day."

"You expect me to just abandon them?" Qrow asked with anger in his eyes.

"They're hunters, like us… They would understand." Radagast says.

* * *

(Back to present time, along the tree line to the river the company went down.)

Adam and the rest of his troops regrouped and set out finish their hunt down the river. Adam was sitting in the passenger seat of the lead truck, he pulled out the radio.

"Once we find these pricks, we are going to kill all but two: the girl with the red hood, and the traitor Belladonna. I'll finish her off myself." Adam said with anger in his voice.

"Why the hood girl?" asked the lieutenant that was driving Adam's truck.

"A gift to Cinder, of course." Adam said with a devious smile. "When we kill the knight and get this kingdom, we give her Rose, she may give us more."

* * *

(Inside Atlas HQ)

General Ironwood stood in the hallway of the brig; Winter was standing next to him. They were both standing in front of one of the cells. The cell had the White Fang agent inside with two Atlas soldiers. The soldiers were each holding the Faunus' forearm and shoulder to keep him from trying anything; the cell's shield was up in case the Faunus would try to escape during the interrogation.

The White Fang agent was a wolf Faunus. He had black hair with wolf ears sticking out; the moment they took off his mask they discovered how old he was, he was between 15 and 17 years old.

"I am only going to ask you once. Depending on your answer I will decide whether to charge you will attempted murder of an Atlas officer and send you to Vale's main prison or have you sent to juvenile prison for 'misbehavior with military'." Ironwood said with a cold look in his eyes.

The wolf kid may have put on a brave face, but his eyes betrayed him; he was scared.

"Why was Adam Taurus leading this assault after that company of 13 hunters?" Ironwood asked.

"We… we were asked to." The wolf kid said. "And there won't be 13, not for long anyway."

"What do you mean?" Winter asked.

"Adam shot that 'monkey guy' with one of his 'Morgul-shot' bullets." The kid lowered his head; he looked like he was guilty of it. "The poison is in his bloodstream by now… he'll start choking on it soon."

"Why do you look so guilty for it?" Winter asked.

The kid lifted his head fast with anger in his eyes, "Because I was in this to get back at humans for all the pain they've put us through. But when I saw Adam try to kill one of our own… I honestly thought we were doing the right thing."

Winter felt sad for this kid, but the general didn't care what his reasons were. "Who asked you to go after them?" Ironwood asked.

"Cinder… Cinder Fall asked our boss to assassinate the knight… in exchange, she promised the White Fang the City of Vale." Said the boy.

"Why would she give such a steep prize for one knight?" Ironwood asked with anger in his voice.

"Didn't say why. But I think it may have something to do with her losing her left arm." The wolf kid said with fear in his voice. The general was starting to scare him.

Ironwood squinted his eyes, "Very well." He gave a signal to the Atlas soldiers to let the boy go. Ironwood walked over to the shield control and let the guards out. "I will have you sent to the juvenile detention center tomorrow. You will not speak of or about the White Fang ever again, while you are in here. Am I understood?"

The boy nodded. Ironwood closed the shield and started walk away, but was stopped by the kid.

"Wait. There's something else." The wolf kid said.

"What?" Witner asked for the general.

"If you think that Adam will stop chasing them after that fight your wrong. He'll hunt them to the edge of the world for the price we were offered." The wolf said with sincere eyes.

Ironwood simply nodded his head in understanding, and then walked away. Winter quickly followed him; what the boy said about Cinder losing her arm had her thoughts racing around in her head. _"Only a Star Knight can stand up to a Maiden. And I've already seen Arc's power in use already. If he really did take her arm, and we thought she was still at the Spire, then maybe there is a way around the wall that we haven't seen yet."_

"General! What are we going to do about this?" Winter asked.

"Exactly as expected of us." Ironwood put his finger to his ear, "I want all wall gates on lockdown, no one goes in or out of the Quarantine Zone until I say otherwise." Ironwood then took his finger off his ear and continued to walk towards his office.

"Sir… What about Lieutenant Polendina? She's with the company of hunters." Winter sounded worried, her worry wasn't just for Penny but more so for Weiss.

"Lieutenant Polendina is suffering from damage to her software. At the moment we can't do anything about it. Until I can schedule a scouting group to Lake Town, we must focus on protecting the rest of Vale. That is our top priority." Ironwood says as he walks into the elevator, he turns around to face Winter, who was standing just outside of it. "I am going to call an inner circle meeting about our former guests. Until I say otherwise, I want you to remain vigilant and defend the wall however you think is best."

"Yes sir." Winter said as she saluted to Ironwood.

The elevator closed and sent Ironwood up to his office. Winter left the elevators and headed to her quarters. She was stopped by an Atlas soldier.

"Major. We received an encrypted message meant for you." The soldier handed Winter the datapad.

She looked at the encryption and recognized its style; it was one that that Penny made. Winter tried not to look surprised in front of the soldier; she looked to him, "Thank you, Sargent. That will be all."

The soldier saluted to Winter and walked away. Winter walked to her quarters and put in the passcode to decrypt the message.

* * *

 **(The message goes as follows.)**

 _Major,_

 _I am sorry, but I had to help them. Ruby is my friend, more so, I trust her. My father created me to be the first of many protectors to humanity; it's not just my mission, it's my purpose. If what she and Jaune say is true, then I'm not fulfilling my purpose by guarding this wall. I am going to help them get to Beacon, and help them to take it back from Smaug._

 _P.S Weiss knows that being locked up wasn't your idea, she'll forgive you next time you see her. I think she would be happier about all this if you were here to help too._

 _Lieutenant Polendina._

* * *

Winter set down the datapad, she let out a small sigh of relief. She was worried that Weiss would have resented or hated Winter for not doing anything to stop the guards from locking them up.

Winter had a look on her face that showed that she wasn't sure what to do. She could go after them, but then again she was ordered to protect the wall.

 _"Maybe I can protect the wall… from inside the Quarantine Zone."_ Winter thought with a smile.

* * *

(Near the beach that Wash's ferry was docked at.)

Adam and his group arrived at the beach, after following the river and discovering the Grizzly's tire tracks.

One of the scouts walked over to a small red puddle in the rocks. She dabbed her finger in it and sniffed it. "It's Faunus blood. The monkey guy you shot," the White Fang agent said towards Adam. "They were here."

"I smell something else." Another White Fang agent said. "It smells like one of those river-folk."

"They went to Lake Town." Adam said as he saw where the river met the lake ahead.

* * *

(On Wash's ferry; heading for Lake Town.)

Wash's ferry is sailing through a thick fog; there are pieces of ice all around the water. From the looks of the lake, it looks like winter is starting to leave and spring is coming.

Wash was sitting in the driver seat of the boat, behind the _Grizzly_. He could see all the ice pieces on his radar, and used it to help him go around the larger pieces.

Penny was typing on her scroll and pressed the 'send' button. Most likely, she just sent the message that Winter got not too long ago. Penny then walked over to the front of the ferry, where Ruby and Nora were. They all were sitting on the side rail, hanging their feet off the side. When Penny reached them, she did the same next to Ruby.

Jaune and Yang were both at their bikes. They were checking for any possible damages or problems they didn't catch while they were at shore.

Yatsuhashi, Fox and Velvet were all working on the _Grizzly_ , checking to see if it suffered more damage than they had originally thought.

Weiss was looking at their map to see what roots they can take once they reach Lake Town. That is assuming that they get help from the people.

Neptune was sitting inside the _Grizzly_ , with his seatbelt on. He refused to come out of the tank as long as they are in open water.

Sun was resting on top of the tank, lying on his back, looking up at the sky. Blake lay down next to him to keep him company.

Coco was asked by Jaune to put count the money they had to use to pay Wash for the trip. As she was counting all the credits, she saw a problem. "Uh… Jaune, we have a problem."

Everyone but Wash heard Coco call out to Jaune. They all gathered to her to listen to what she had to say.

"We are 20 credits short to what we owe Wash." Coco said as she showed them all the credits they had.

Jaune, without hesitation, looked straight at Weiss. "Weiss… Come on. We need it all."

Everyone then looked to Weiss for a reply to that assumption. "Excuse me? I have spent a fortune on this trip." Everyone started to roll their eyes to her excuses.

Then something caught everyone's eyes in the distance. Everyone looked to the object in the fog. Even Neptune opened up the top hatch to the _Grizzly_ to see what everyone else was seeing. It was a silhouette from the sun shining through the fog. They saw Beacon's CCT tower, still standing.

Without hesitating, Weiss pulled out her 'reserve' credits from her back pockets. "Take it. Take all of it." She said as she handed it to Coco without looking at her.

Wash set the boat to 'auto-pilot' and left the controls. Wash started walking towards the company, "We should be reaching Lake Town shortly."

"Shouldn't you be at the controls for when we dock?" Weiss asked.

"These things can dock themselves, I just have to sail it whenever we're in open water." Wash said as he leaned against the guardrail.

Jaune started to realize that he had heard of Lake Town before, a long time ago. "Ren, Nora? Wasn't Lake Town that village you guys wanted to go and see the sheriff?"

Both looked at each other and realized that he was right. "I can't believe I forgot. I wanted to be a deputy on that trip!" Nora said.

"What?" Wash asked with a confused look on his face.

"A few years back, when we were at Beacon, we were going to go on trip for a week to shadow a huntsman sheriff in Lake Town. But then the Breach happened and we had to cancel." Ren said. "I kind of wish we got to meet the sheriff at least."

"Well, you just did." Wash said.

"What?" Nora asked with a curious look on her face.

"I am the former Sheriff of Lake Town." Wash said.

"How does a sheriff become a ferry driver?" Nora asked. Everyone looked to her with an angry look, "What? I was curious."

"No, it's fine." Wash said, trying to get some of the heat off of Nora. "I don't mind telling the story. It was during the Fall of Beacon. The Grimm were attacking the villages in waves upon waves. I made a bad call that got a lot of people killed, my wife included. After that I was removed as sheriff, the mayor put me in this job afterwards, that way I can still keep my family from starving."

Everyone was saddened to hear how he lost his wife, Nora and Ruby started to tear up. Weiss couldn't help but notice something odd.

"Uh, Wash? How is it that your village is the only one that still lives in the Quarantine Zone?" Weiss asked.

"It's the water." Wash said with a smile.

Everyone looked at him with a confused look on their faces. "We didn't know at first, but the water is under some kind of charm. It wasn't discovered until Beacon fell really. Reason being, the Grimm normally have gone for bigger villages than this one, until now."

"What kind of charm?" Velvet asked.

"We were under attack from the land; the Grimm started chasing our people into the water as they were fleeing. We didn't notice at first, but after a few seconds of the Grimm being in the water, they started to melt away. The water burned them to nothing like acid to metal." Wash said with a smile. "If it wasn't for the water, our town would have been overrun a long time ago."

The company listened in awe of the story, Nora was the most amazed. Wash started to smile as the company that stood before him started to remind him of his own children. Wash then looked on ahead to see that they were coming up to the docks; everyone started gathering their things after seeing it themselves.

"When we get there, I will do all the talking. No one says anything, I we can't get into a fight with these guys. Mostly because you'd tear them apart." Wash said with a huff and a smile.

Jaune collected all the money that everyone put together, put them in a small bag and handed it to Wash.

"What's this?" Wash asked.

"We promised to pay you for taking us to the town, we added a little more, for your family." Jaune said.

"Thank you." Wash said with a kind smile.

* * *

Wash's ferry docked on its side. Wash lowered the ramp for them all to walk off the boat and onto the docks. Neptune refused to leave the Grizzly on the count that he couldn't walk onto a dock.

Weiss convinced him to come out and go with them on the condition that he held onto her hand as long as they were at the docks. He got no argument for that request.

The whole company left the ferry and followed Wash to the main gate to Lake Town.

They were coming up to an Atlisan Knight that was standing guard at the docks. Its armor was brown, and it carried a battle rifle at the ready. Wash patted it on the shoulder as he spoke, "Keep up the good work, Lopez."

The machine looked to Wash as he was leaving, "Sí señor. Lo haré lo mejor que pueda." ( **Yes, sir. I'll do my best.** )

As they were walking towards the checkpoint, Weiss walked up to Wash. "Was that an Atlisian knight? Why wasn't it speaking the common tounge?"

"Lopez got damaged during the Fall of Beacon. Mechanics say they can't fix it, but he's still combat ready." Wash says.

As the rest of the company was passing by Lopez, Penny waved at him. Lopez responded by waving back at her, although it looked confused doing so.

Once they reached the checkpoint gate, they just stood there, waiting for about two minutes. Wash groaned, "I'll be right back."

Wash climbed up the ladder that reached the gate's watch tower and controls. When Wash reached the top, he discovered a soldier in orange armor. He was leaning back in his chair, boots resting on the control console and crossed. There was a magazine over his face, and his arms were crossed, and he was snoring up a storm.

Wash rolled his eyes, took the magazine off the soldier's face and then slapped him with it. This made the man fall back on his chair and hit the ground. He looked up quickly with fear in his eyes, and then they relaxed, "Oh… it's just you."

"Why are you sleeping here, Grif? If you wanted to sleep on duty, you should do it on a job that doesn't require your full attention." Wash said as he threw the magazine into the trashcan.

"It doesn't. Nobody comes to Lake Town anymore; Wash. Nobody important has come in for almost two weeks." Grif said as he stood up.

"Yeah? Well, look down there." Wash said as he pointed down below.

Grif looked down below, "Who are they?"

"Fellow hunters. They want to see the mayor." Wash said.

* * *

While Wash was talking to Grif up at the watchtower, a soldier, wearing red armor and holding a shotgun in his hand, walks up to the company.

"May I ask why all you heavily armed fighters are doing at my docks?" the soldier asked.

"Well, mister, uh…" Weiss said, trying to stall until Wash gets back.

"People call me Sarge." The soldier said.

"Well, 'Sarge', we are waiting for Wash to come back. He went up to the tower and—" Weiss was cut off when Sarge started shouting up at the tower.

"PRIVATE GRIF! YOU BETTER NOT BE SLEEPING ON DUTY AGAIN, OR I'LL HAVE YOUR ASS!" Shouted Sarge, practically the whole dock heard that outburst.

Up at the watch tower, Grif tensed up when he heard Sarge shout. He looked to Wash with fear in his eyes, "Please don't tell him I fell asleep again he'll kill me."

"Would you relax, it's Sarge, he's not going to kill you." Wash said with a face that normally meant 'you're being over dramatic.'

"You haven't seen him at target practice." Grif said.

"So?" Wash said with a confused look on his face.

"His targets are pictures of me!" Grif said.

Wash held up his hands, "Ok, I won't tell him. But could you please open the gate?"

Grif walked over to the controls and pressed the unlock button.

"Thanks." Wash said as he slid down the ladder to the watchtower.

* * *

Wash walked up to the company and Sarge. "Hey, Sarge. How's it going?"

"Going good, Wash. Was Grif sleeping up there again?" Sarge asked as he cocked his shotgun.

Wash looks up to the tower then back to Sarge, "Grif? Asleep on duty? No. Of course not."

Sarge looked up then nodded his head, he put his shotgun over his shoulder, "So, who are these friends of yours?"

"Friendly hunters who need to speak to the mayor." Wash says with a calm voice. The best part about all this was that he wasn't even lying to anyone.

Sarge looked at the company and smiled, "Well, welcome to Lake Town. I'll leave you all to your business." Sarge started to walk towards the tower, "PRIVATE GRIF, I BETTER NOT CATCH YOU SLEEPING WHEN I GET UP THERE! IF I DO I'LL TURN YOU INTO A TARGET AT THE SHOOTING RANGE!"

Everyone pretty much had a sweat dropped on the back of their heads; they all thought the same thing, _"That soldier is crazy."_

Wash cleared this throat, "Shall we continue?" he asked as he pointed to the now opened gate.

* * *

As they were walking through the town, Neptune quickly discovered that the whole town was pretty much a large dock. He was holding onto Weiss' hand and standing on the opposite side of the walkway that wasn't next to the water.

Nora and Velvet were amazed at how such a town looked. Velvet couldn't stop taking pictures of all the soldier's weapons and mounted guns. Nora pretty much zipped around walkways until Ren caught her before she fell off the walkway.

Ruby and Yang were quite surprised on the fact that all these houses and buildings were only being supported by poles in the ground instead of solid rock.

Blake helped Sun walk by putting his right arm over her shoulder. He was able to walk with the other leg but every time he stepped with the leg that was shot he would fall down with pain.

Yatsuhashi was having a hard time walking through the walkway as he was tall enough to hit the dangling signs by the top of his head.

Fox and Coco both felt that they were being watched by everyone they passed rather they were on the same walkway or on another across the opening for small boats.

As they were walking, they passed by an opening in the buildings. They could see that there was a small airport for aircraft that have vertical take-off abilities, most likely meant for Bullheads.

They reached the town square, with the mayor's office tower in the center. They walked up to the front entrance and were greeted by two soldiers; one in purple, the other in pink armor.

"Wash, good to see you." Said the soldier in purple.

"Hey, Donut, Doc." Wash waved to them both, "Why are you two here? Usually it's the twins who guard the tower."

"Oh, they went for a walk in the markets. They asked me to stand guard till they get back. What can I do for you?" Donut asked the company behind Wash.

"We need to see the mayor, it's important." Jaune said.

Donut could see the seriousness in Jaune's eyes and nodded his head, "Sure, go on in."

"Hey, you have pink armor like mine!" Nora said with a cheerful voice.

Donut looked to Nora with a slightly angry face, "It's not pink, it's light-ish red."

"Looks like pink to me." Nora said with a small giggle.

"Light-ish red." Donut said with irritiation.

Wash placed his hand on Donut's shoulder, "Relax, Donut, she doesn't know how _sensitive_ you are about your armor color. We'll be on our way to see the mayor, ok?"

"I'm not 'sensitive' it's the truth." Donut said with a whinny voice. Wash gave him a look and Donut stepped aside. "Head on in. And don't start any trouble." Donut looked to Nora when he said that.

* * *

As they entered the building, Wash raised his hand to the company, "I will need two representatives for your company, we all can't fit in the office."

"I'll go." Jaune said first. Nobody argued, considering he was the leader of the company anyway.

"I'll go with you this time, don't want to end up in a prison cell again." Weiss said, she was able to let go of Neptune now that they were inside of a structure, no water in sight for him to be afraid of.

Wash lead Jaune and Weiss to the main office. Everyone else sat down in the waiting room where they were left. Unlike the last time they were in a position like this, they had their weapons handy in case they were going to be locked up again.

* * *

They climbed up three flights of stairs before they reached the mayor's office. Wash opened the door, "Mayor Xiong?"

"Come in, Wash." Said the mayor; sitting behind his desk.

Wash lead Jaune and Weiss into the office. Jaune looked around the office and noticed a few things around the room: there was a large map of Vale to his right and a rocket launcher on display over the fireplace to the left.

All three walked up to the mayor's desk, Mayor Xiong stood up and looked to Jaune and Weiss. He had a suspicious look on his face as he stood up and walked around his desk.

"I am quite surprised that I wasn't informed by the general or any other Atlas official that I would be receiving any 'guests'. Who are you, and why are you here?" The mayor asked.

"We are here to explore the Quarantine Zone. We wanted to." Weiss said.

The mayor started to chuckle a little, "You know, I find it quite convenient, that Atlas reported prisoners escaping from their brigs, at the same time as you and your company arrive. Care to elaborate?"

Jaune looked to Weiss, he didn't know what to say in this situation except the truth, but if he did, they would risk being locked up again. Weiss was trying to come up with something but nothing was coming to mind that could help them.

* * *

Down in the main entrance to the building, the company waited for their representatives to return. Yang was sitting in a chair, leaning forward, holding her head up with her arms, with her elbows to her knees. She started to hear some familiar voices approaching form outside.

The main door opened, and in came two familiar sights. Two girls: one wearing all white with blades on her heels, while the other was wearing black and red with blade claws on her arms.

Right then it hit Yang, _"If they're here… then that means…"_

Right then, Yang zipped out of the waiting room and ran up the stairs to the mayor's office as fast as she could. Everyone in the main hall had no idea what Yang was doing, but they didn't bother to go after her. They were too tired to try.

* * *

"I'm still waiting for your answer." Xiong said with his eyes squinting and arms crossed.

Weiss still couldn't think of anything to say, Jaune cleared his throat.

"I guess there's no point in lying to you. We're here—" Jaune was cut off when the door behind him was broken down.

Everyone looked to the door and found Yang standing at the entrance. "Junior…" She said with a devious smile on her face.

* * *

 **AN: I'm going to cut it off right there because I feel that this chapter has been going on long enough.**

 **New chapter will be posted soon.**

 **R &R!**


	15. A Lakefront Event

**A Lakefront Event**

* * *

 **AN: Here we will continue right where we let off last.**

 **As always, I would like to thank Nightengale4698 for being my beta-reading for this story and giving me help.**

* * *

(Lake Town Mayor's Office)

Jaune looked back to the mayor and saw that he had stiffened up when Yang had entered the room.

"B-Blondie!" Junior's backed away from Jaune, his hand started to shake.

"Yang… I assume you two know each other?" Jaune asked as he looked to Yang.

"You could say that." Yang said as she walked towards them. She walked past Jaune and Weiss, and up to 'Junior'. "This guy giving you two any trouble?"

"Well, he knows about the breakout, and finds it a coincidence that we are here after he got the report." Jaune said.

"I see." Yang said as she walked up to Junior. She looked to Wash who had no clue what was going on. What surprised him, and everyone else in the room was when Yang grabbed Junior in the crotch.

"AH-AH!" Junior yelled.

"Junior, don't tell me you actually grew a brain… Now, you're not going to report us to Atlas, by any chance, are you?" Yang asked with a smile as she squeezed harder.

"AH— No!" He grunted a little as she squeezed, "I just recently decided it's in the 'best interests' of Lake Town to not say anything. UH!"

"Very kind of you." Yang said with a smile.

"Hold on, before you let him go. We are going to need a couple of things while we are here." Jaune said as he approached Junior as he was in Yang's grasp.

"Anything you need." Junior said as he was trying to hold back his yelps.

"I think my new friend over there deserves his job back." Jaune said as he pointed to Wash.

Junior looked to Wash, then back to Jaune, "Even if I _wanted_ to," his voiced raised as Yang squeezed a little, "I can't make him the Sheriff again. It has to be by popular vote. And after what happened at the Fall of Beacon, it's highly unlikely."

"It's ok, Jaune. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's ok." Wash said.

"Let him go, Yang. It's hurting just by watching." Jaune said as he turned around and walked away from Junior and Yang.

Yang let Junior go, he let out a large exhale and backed away from Yang.

"You still haven't changed, huh?" Yang asked. "Still the same criminal as ever."

"On the contrary, he's been an excellent mayor to Lake Town. Most of the people here wouldn't be her if it wasn't for him and his crew." Wash said in Junior's defense.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

Junior waddled over to his chair and sat down; he let out a sigh of relief from the pain. "It was during the Fall of Beacon. When the Grimm attacked the city, we evacuated the club and made our way to the closest evacuation sight. Once we got there the evacuation shuttle was brought down by Griffins and Nevermores. My boys and I rescued the survivors and escorted them here. When we arrived in Lake Town, the town's people were in a panic; with the city under siege and any shuttle that tried to fly over brought down by Grimm. I ordered my men to engage the Grimm and save the town."

"Before he arrived, I ordered the entire police force to engage the Grimm to the west, thinking that if we were there the Grimm wouldn't go to the town. I was wrong, and my wife died in that attack along with a few dozen hunters. By the time my group of hunters and I returned, we found that the city was roughly destroyed." Wash said. "We attacked the Grimm that were occupying the city, alongside Xiong's crew."

"It was then that we realized the water was charmed, we saw hundreds of Grimm that were running on the ice break through to the water and melt before they could get close." Junior said with a prideful smile. "Once the dust settled, the people left in the town saw me and my boys as heroes. I decided to stay, and later ran for mayor. After they blamed Wash for the destruction done to the city, I had him removed from his positon and work as a ferry driver for the town."

"How could you, he fought side by side with you!" Weiss shouted.

"It was what was required of me as the mayor. He made the bad call, he had to pay for the consequences, making a ferry driver was the best I could do. Because of his children having no mother anymore, he was able to avoid the penalty of exile." Junior said with a saddened voice, "But if it were up to me, he would have still had his job as Sheriff."

Jaune looked to Wash, "And you were okay with it?"

"So long as my family is fed, I will accept any job." Wash said with pride.

Junior cleared his throat so that everyone could look to him, "Now that we have all the introductions and stories told, please tell me why you are all here."

Yang was about to walk towards him to hurt him again, but Jaune grabbed her arm to stop her. "We are here to kill Smaug and Cinder." Jaune said with a calm voice.

Junior looked to Jaune then to Yang, then back to Jaune. "What makes you think you can do it?"

"We are a company of 14 hunters." Jaune included Penny as the fourteenth. "We all have gone through a lot for the past week trying to get here, and we are more than capable to take on a Grimm Dragon."

Junior started to chuckle a little, "You have blondie here; I'm inclined to believe you. But something tells me that you want something form me."

"We need food rations, ammo, fuel and a place to stay for the night. Our company is exhausted." Weiss said.

Junior stood up, turned around to the back window of his office, "I can give you the food, and fuel… But I can't help you with the place to stay or ammo."

"What why?" Yang asked with anger.

Junior turned around; arms crossed and looked Jaune in the eye as he spoke. "Because all the hotels in town are currently being occupied by Atlas scouts. And the armory is under the protection of the Atlas Red Company here, they were the ones you saw when you arrived. And if I'm not mistaken, you're trying to avoid Atlas, yes?" Junior knows a leader when he sees one, and he could tell right away that Jaune was the leader of the group.

"What do you suggest, then?" Jaune asked as he crossed his arms.

"The only thing I can recommend is that you stay at one of the town's people's homes." Junior said.

"They can stay with me. My house is big enough to hold them all." Wash volunteered as he raised his hand.

"There you have it." Junior said as he smiled. Jaune looked to Wash with a thankful smile and nodded his head.

"And what about our lack of ammunition?" Weiss asked.

"Well, like I said, the Red Company is protecting the armory, if you want ammo, you ask them." Junior said with an irritated voice.

Wash walked out of the room first, followed by Weiss and Jaune. Yang walked back to Junior one more time and put her robotic hand on his cheek and gave a devious smile, "If I learn that you sold us out, I'll squeeze you with this hand."

"You won't." Junior said with a nervous smile.

Right when Yang had left the room, Junior flopped onto his chair and let out a sigh of relief, _"That chick is crazy."_

* * *

(Down in the main lobby)

Jaune and the others walked down stairs to the others.

"Follow me." Wash said as he walked out the door followed by Jaune and Weiss.

"So?" Ruby asked as she followed Jaune and Weiss down the street.

"The mayor was 'nice' enough to give us what we needed, except for a place to stay." Jaune said as he looked to Yang when he said 'nice'.

"Wash offered his home as a place to stay." Weiss said.

"Oh, cool." Ruby said with a smile.

"Stay close, I don't want any of you getting lost here. This town is a maze for those who haven't been here more than a year." Wash said as he led them to his house.

* * *

Once they were able to see the house, Wash saw that his son Bain was sitting on the front porch fishing. Bain saw them approach and waved to them.

"Hey dad, who's your new friends?" Bain asked.

"They are fellow hunters, Bain. They are going to be staying for the night. Go set up the guest bed and lay out blankets." Wash said as he opened the front door.

Bain nodded and ran inside to do as he was asked. Wash's oldest daughter Sigrid greeted the hunters. "Hello." She and her little sister Tilda could tell that they were all exhausted.

"Sigrid, could you go help your brother and bring down some blankets and pillows." As Sigrid left, Wash turned to his youngest. "Tilda, I'll need you to go get the table ready, I'm sure these hunters are hungry." Wash said as he patted his daughter's head with a smile. She smiled back to him and nodded as she ran to the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind if we use your shower." Velvet said to Wash.

Wash turned to her and smiled, "No, by all means, there's one down the hall down here, and one on the upstairs.

"I call first dibs!" Coco said as she ran to the one down stairs.

"I'll take the top one first." Yang said as she ran up the stairs.

Weiss ran up after Yang, "Hey, don't use up all the hot water this time!"

"Oh for the love of— That was one time!" Yang shouted back as she reached the top.

Jaune looked to the rest of team RWBY with a curious look. Ruby and Blake both started to laugh; Ruby spoke first, "Back when we were in our dorms, Yang used up all the hot water."

"Right before it was Weiss' turn to use the shower." Blake finished with a giggle.

After finishing their story, Blake helped Sun walk to the kitchen table to rest his leg.

"Don't suppose you guys have a hospital in this town?" Sun asked as he sat down.

"We have Doc, the guy in purple that you saw earlier, but I wouldn't recommend it." Wash said.

* * *

One-by-one everyone had their turn in the shower, Jaune was the last to use it. As the warm water brushed flowed down his face he let out a sigh of relief. _"That feels better."_

Jaune exited the shower with fresh cloths that Wash provided for him, lucky for Jaune, Wash had old cloths that fit him. He looked out the window to see that the sun was going down.

Jaune came down from the upstairs to see that dinner was already prepared and the rest of the company was sitting all around the living room and kitchen eating their food.

Jaune stood next to the fireplace as he ate his food.

Coco looked out the window that was next to the kitchen and saw something she didn't expect. "Holy Lord… Is that what I think it is?!"

Wash walked up to the window to see what she was referring to and smiled, "Yes, it is."

Jaune, Ruby, Ren and Weiss walked up behind Wash to see for themselves. "What is that?" Ruby asked.

"That is a M68 Gauss Cannon." Coco said with pride. "That thing is one of the earlier models that didn't use dust, just iron polls launched at high speeds. Said to be so powerful that it could punch through eight inches of steel with one shot."

The rest of the company looked out the windows in the same direction to see the legendary weapon. It had a long barrel with blue lights around it. There was a cylinder behind the main barrel, meant to hold the ammunition for the cannon. It had a large plate of steel below it to protect the operator when it's in use. The legendary weapon was standing on top of a tower close to the mayor's office.

"These days the militaries of the world use the new models. Some are more efficient and have better accuracy, but none could ever match the power of the M68." Weiss stated.

Everyone looked to her with surprised about her knowledge of the weapon. "What? Just because I primarily use dust doesn't mean I don't know anything about other weapons." She said with a slightly annoyed look on her face.

"I heard that it was those kinds of cannons that helped protect the kingdom of Vale against a massive Grimm invasion during the Great War." Coco said.

Velvet was mesmerized by the design and ingenuity of such a weapon; she quickly pulled out her camera and took a picture. _"That's a keeper."_

"Yeah, too bad we didn't have any more of those during the Fall of Beacon." Wash said. "They don't make more ammunition for those models anymore."

"I'd be surprised if something that old could still work." Yang said.

"It did. Our troopers used it against Smaug when he flew over our heads." Wash said. Everyone looked to him with surprise all over their faces. "When that monster came out of the mountain, he flew over us to get to Beacon, while he flew over, I ordered the soldiers to open fire on him. One of my friends mounted onto the Gauss turret and fired at him. Hit his left armor plate below the wing, made a small dent but didn't crack it. Damn thing didn't even wink at us, just kept flying towards Beacon." Wash said with slight anger in his voice.

"At least you tried." Ren said, "Anybody else would have probably run when they caught sight of such a beast."

Wash smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you."

Jaune cleared his throat so that Wash could look to him as he spoke, "Wash, we appreciate you letting us stay here for the night, but there is still the concern of our lack of ammunition."

Wash sighed, "Junior wasn't lying when he said the armory was being protected by the Reds. I'm sure you can get your ammo you need, but not without getting caught by Atlas."

"Then I guess we'll have to steal it." Jaune said as he looked to Blake and Sun with a half-smile.

Blake gave a half smile of her own but it then vanished when she looked to Sun's leg. "I can do it, but Sun can barely walk with this leg."

"I can do it." Sun said with a tired voice.

"No you can't." Blake said.

"Neither of you will. You're all here to stay for the night and that's what you're going to do. Atlas set up a curfew after 8 o'clock, anyone caught, or even seen outside at that time without their city ID gets arrested." Wash said as he locked the door.

Jaune looked to Blake with a look that normally meant, _"Can you do it?"_

Blake nodded her head yes, that way Wash couldn't hear them.

"You know what, you're right. How about we set up the beds for the night?" Jaune said as he put his hands together to make a single clap.

Wash looked to his children, "Can you guys fetch blankets and pillows for our guests, please." The children ran upstairs without hesitation. Wash followed them to help.

Jaune walked over to Blake and sat down next to her, while everyone else in the room were still eating. He whispered to Blake, "When do you think is the best time?"

"Midnight, that way everyone is asleep." She whispered back.

"I'll ask Coco to write up a list of what to grab." Jaune whispered. "Ren and Velvet will go with you, both are quiet enough, and you need all the help you can get."

"So long as they don't slow me down." Blake said with a smile.

Jaune replied with a smile of his own.

* * *

(Walls of Atlas HQ)

Winter calmly walked towards the main air-pad on the wall. The guards saluted her as she approached.

"Major Schnee. Can we help you?" asked one of the guards.

"Yes. I would like to commandeer this Bullhead. There is urgent business in Lake Town I must attend to." Winter said with her cold military voice.

The guards looked to each other, "Uh… Major, the Quarantine Zone is a no-fly zone, for Atlas or otherwise. We cannot let you take it there."

"This is an order from the General himself. Unless you want to ask him…" Winter said with an intimidating voice.

"Uh, no! No, go ahead Major." Said the guard with fear in his voice.

Winter smiled and walked past them, she walked onboard the bullhead and walked into he cockpit and walked up to the pilot, "You are relieved, I will be flying myself."

"Yes ma'am." The pilot said as he exited the plane.

Up in General Ironwood's office he received a call. "Excuse me, General."

"Yes, what is it?" Ironwood said.

"We detected an unscheduled launch from Landing Pad 2; the plane is heading towards Lake Town. What are your orders?" asked the soldier on the line.

Ironwood looked out the window to see the Bullhead fly away, "Who took the plane?"

"Major Schnee, sir." Said the soldier.

Ironwood let out a sigh of anger and annoyance, "Let her go, but keep an eye on its transponder signal in case something happens."

"Yes, sir." The soldier said after hanging up.

 _"I hope you know what you're doing, Winter."_ Ironwood thought as he looked out the window with slight disappointment in his eyes.

* * *

(Lake Town, midnight)

Blake, Ren and Velvet were hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the middle of the night. Luckily for them, the moon was bright enough for them to see where they were going.

They continued until they reached a four way intersection, if they were to jump across the water way, they would run the risk of being spotted. Blake pulled up the map on her scroll, "Ok, Weiss said that the city's armory is three blocks that way."

"Let's move." Ren said.

* * *

Back at Wash's house, Jaune was sitting in a chair on Wash's front porch. He was wearing a white shirt with black sweat pants, his own clothes this time, while still wearing his shoes.

He wanted to wait for the others to come back, but accidently dozed off.

In Jaune's dream, he was in Beacon. The school was burning all around him was burning. Ash fell from the sky like it was snow. The people were screaming around him. He looked to find that the whole company was dead at his feet.

Everyone was dead, most had holes in their chests or slashes across their bodies. There was a figure in the distance that was holding someone up by the neck. As Jaune was walking over to the figure he saw that it was Cinder, and the person she was holding was Ruby.

Cinder formed one of her swords and then stabbed Ruby in the chest.

"NOOOOO!" Jaune shouted as he charged at Cinder with rage in his eyes. He drew his sword, leaving his shield at his hip and sprinted towards Cinder with full force.

Cinder's blade blocked Jaune without effort, "You have a habit of getting the people you love killed."

Jaune would have said something but then Smaug came down from above and blasted a large ball of fire down on both Jaune and Cinder.

Jaune jolted out of his sleep and woke up from a cold sweat. He stood up and leaned his arms against the guard rails. He looks to the sky; his eyes were intense and sad at the same time. Jaune could feel the anger inside him, the fire burning like a forest ablaze. There was also pain, pain from the hole in his heart, the same hole that was made when he learned of Pyrrha's death.

Wash came outside to see Jaune standing there, he moved to the guard rail next to Jaune and could see his eyes. Wash had a look on his face that was sympathetic.

"You know, I've seen eyes like those before." Wash said as he crossed his arms, "They were on me after my wife was taken from me." There was a long pause before he continued. "I'm guessing you suffered a similar loss."

Jaune lowered his head and let out a small sigh, "Yes. Her name was Pyrrha Nikos."

"The Warrior Princess. I've heard of her." Wash said.

"She was my partner." Jaune said with sadness in his voice.

"I'm guessing you wanted to be more than her partner?" Wash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I didn't have feelings for her then... Or, well... I didn't think so." Jaune lowered his head to how much of an ass he made himself when they first met. After realizing his own feeling for her, reflecting on all the time they had together, he could see that she was interested and he didn't even notice. "I was an idiot then. It was clear as day for everyone else, but not me. She… had feelings for me, but I liked someone else… well, I thought I liked someone else, but all I was really doing was chasing an old crush."

Jaune then gripped the guardrail tight, tight enough for it to crack under pressure. "And what pisses me off the most," Jaune's voice grew angrier and angrier. "is that I didn't even know I loved her until it was too late."

Wash uncrossed his arms, he knew that Jaune was hurting but he didn't know in what way. "I understand, you loved her, and then you lost her."

"And I never got the chance to tell her how I felt. Or to return her kiss." Jaune said as tears began to well up in his eyes. He had never talked about this to anyone, not even to 'her'.

He could see Pyrrha on the opposite side of him; she was leaning against the guard rails too. She had a slightly sad smile on her face. "I've been waiting a long time for you to say that." Pyrrha said with a smile. Jaune didn't turn to her; he just looked straight down at the water below.

"She kissed me just before I lost her; I didn't know until later that it was a 'goodbye'." Jaune said, "I tried to get to her but I was too late, and that damn Dragon had a hand in it too."

Wash could feel the aura of sadness over Jaune turn to anger in a heartbeat. "And you want revenge over her killer."

"Yes." Jaune said with a cold and dark voice.

"Jaune I understand your loss, but the path your on will not grant you peace. In fact you'll only feel worse." Wash said with a compassionate voice, a voice he hadn't used in a long time.

Jaune raised his head, wiped his tears and looked to Wash with a cold look, "Maybe not... But at least there will be one less cold-blooded monster in this world. And one less Grimm Dragon." Jaune walked away from Wash and back into the house without another word between them.

* * *

Over by the landing pad in Lake Town, a Bullhead with an Atlas insignia landed on the platform.

Winter exited the bullhead and activated her hollo-map. She set the map to track Penny's personal tracking device, that was still on. Just as she was leaving the landing area, Sarge walked up to her.

"Major Schnee." Sarge said as he saluted, "We weren't expecting you."

"I am here to see a friend. I know my way around, Sargent." Winter said as she passed him.

"Uh, yes ma'am." Sarge had a confused look on his face as he looked to Simmons and Doc next to him. They held their hands up in the positon that normally meant 'I don't know'.

* * *

Over by the main entrance to Lake Town, Griff was asleep at the watch tower again. Because of that, he didn't see over a dozen covered in black ninjas climb over the gate and into town.

Coming up the watch tower, a soldier wearing maroon armor finds Griff asleep again. "Griff get up!"

Griff falls off his chair again and looks to see his friend standing over him, "What's your deal, Simmons?"

"Sarge called in saying that Major Schnee is here, she could be here for an inspection. Which means you should be doing your job!"

Griff gets up and looks out the window to see that there was no one at the gate, "Why, there isn't anybody out there."

They both then hear a noise, and then they see a light in the distance, coming from the bridge close to the main gate. The light was getting brighter; they then saw that it was a missile coming right for the tower.

"JUMP!" Simmons yelled as they both dove into the water just as the tower was hit by the missile.

Once the tower was hit, the main gate opened up, and in came four trucks of White Fang troopers, Adam being in the first truck.

Simmons and Griff poke their heads out of the water.

"Still wishing you were asleep?" Simmons asks sarcastically.

"Yes, I do, actually." Griff said with pride.

* * *

Blake, Velvet and Ren succeeded in collecting the necessary bullets they needed to finish their mission.

All three jumped across rooftops, holding big duffle bags of ammo for the whole company. As they were jumping across rooftops, Blake started to see other shadowy figures across town, going the same direction as they were.

 _"White Fang."_ Blake said in her head, "We need to get back to the others now!"

She didn't get any arguments form the other too; they all started sprinting towards Wash's house, hoping they could get there first.

* * *

The whole company woke up from the sound of a loud bang. Jaune stood up first and ran to the window to see what all the fuss was about. Just as he looked into the window, he saw people in all black running towards the house.

He could see that they had symbols on the left side of their chest, Adam's 'blood rose' symbol.

 **(I call it blood rose because it sounds more evil than red rose)**

"WHITE FANG!" Jaune shouted.

Just as he shouted, White Fang ninjas broke through the roof and landed inside the house.

Jaune grabbed his sword from his sheath just as an assassin attacked him with his sword.

One of the assassins was falling towards Yang from the roof, and had his fall stopped by a robotic fist that punched him straight back out of the house.

Neptune grabbed his rifle and changed it into its triton form and threw Sun his staff.

Sun caught the staff, but fell down when he tried to stand. An assassin was about to club him but was knocked away by Nora's hammer.

Coco swung her bag at any who got near her and damn near knocked some teeth out of some of them.

Wash's girls started to scream at all the fighting that was tearing apart their house. One of the assassins started to run towards them but was cut down by Crescent Rose. Ruby ran to the girls and helped them out of the house and away from the fight.

In the middle of all the chaos, Wash ran up to his room and pulled out his rifle out from under his bed. He fired right behind himself without even looking, shooting an assassin that tried to sneak up on him.

Jaune opened the front door and saw Blake and her group arriving.

"Heads up!" Blake shouted as she threw a full magazine of bullets towards Jaune.

He caught the magazine and loaded it into his desert eagle and started firing at some of the assassins that were coming up the street.

The rest of the company came out of Wash's house as Jaune was shooting. Blake and her group ran up to them and handed out the ammo they needed.

* * *

Adam and his platoon of White Fang troopers stop driving when they see a roadblock. They all exit and continued their way to Wash's house, following Sun's scent. As they continued, they cut down any Atlas soldiers that got in their way.

* * *

When Winter heard the loud bang she started to run, then she came across some White Fang assassins that were going the same way as her. She took two of them down with ease, but then a third came up behind her.

She quickly turned to block but discovered she didn't have to. She looked to see that Sarge and a few other soldiers were running up to her.

"Major, we have a White Fang invasion on our hands. The front gate is open and the watch tower is destroyed." Sarge said. "We have reports that Adam Taurus is leading this assault."

"I think I know where they're going, order your forces to delay Adam at all costs." Winter ordered as she continued to follow her map.

Sarge didn't hesitate; he called in any and all fighters that were in town.

* * *

The twins, Melanie and Miltia responded to the call, along with Junior.

Junior walked over to his rocket launcher and cocked it, "No one barges into this town unless I allow it."

* * *

Everyone back at Wash's house got their desperately needed ammunition and quickly got the upper hand against the assassins.

Jaune looked down the street and saw more 'blood rose' assassins coming towards them from the street. Jaune looked to his company and saw that they were all fully loaded and ready for a fight, despite the fact that they were all in their pajamas.

They all had that look in their eyes that showed that they were ready, Jaune smiled, "Engage at will."

Everyone then ran into the fight, guns blazing. Wash joined in to protect his house.

Sun was left behind because he couldn't stand and fight. Blake stayed with him in case any more assassins decided to come back to the house while the others were out there.

* * *

After cutting down the twentieth Atlas soldier that was standing in his way, Adam and his platoon were halted by Winter and the Reds.

"Winter Schnee." Adam said with a smile on his face. "I'm going to enjoy this." Adam held his sheath in his left hand and grabbed the handle of his sword with his right, while making a battle-ready pose.

"Kill them all!" Adam shouted as he charged, followed by all the other White Fang troopers.

Winter and the reds charged towards them with the same speed. Adam picked Winter out of the group and dueled her.

Sarge fired his shotgun and kicked any White fang trooper that got too close.

Doc and Donut attacked with combo moves, taking down troopers two at a time.

Griff and Simmons were holding their own but started to get overwhelmed by the sheer numbers the White Fang had.

Junior and the Twins arrived just in time to help out the reds.

Militia swung her claws in like a helicopter motion and knocked down four troopers two by tow.

Melanie kick-slashed five troopers as she entered the fight.

Junior swung his bat at a Lieutenant that was holding a large axe. Their weapons locked together as they pushed down on one another.

* * *

Over by Wash's street, the company made quick work of the assassins that they took on. They all started to hear the fighting down the street that came from the Reds and White Fang. None of them hesitated to go over to them and join the fight.

Back at the house, Blake and Wash's children help Sun sit at the table.

"I'm fine really. AAH!" Sun interrupted himself as he felt a great amount of pain come from his wound.

"Sun, what is it?" Blake asked with fear in her eyes.

"IT BURNS! AAAAH!" Sun shouted as he clutched his leg; there was black color bleeding through the bandages.

* * *

Just as a Lieutenant holding a spike whip was about to lash at Sarge from behind, he gets hit by an ice shard in the arm. He quickly looks to see Weiss speeding towards him, and gets launched five feet away from her attack.

The rest of the company arrives to help the Reds fight off the White Fang troopers.

Ren and Fox fought alongside the twins and watched their backs.

Yang, Nora, and Yatsuhashi engaged the Lieutenants with Junior.

Jaune, Neptune, Ruby, Weiss, Velvet and Coco engaged the other troopers

* * *

Over by where Winter was having her duel with Adam, she wasn't doing so great.

She was kneeling, using her blade to keep her upper body up. She got a small cut across her left leg that made her go down. She was panting from exhaustion.

"I would have thought the Snow Soldier of Atlas would have put up a better fight." Adam said as a taunt.

Winter stood up and held her sword at the ready, and put a confident smile on her face, "I'm just getting warmed up."

Winter activated her construct glyphs and threw a swarm of small white Nevermores at Adam. Adam swung his blade fast enough to destroy any that got close enough. He continued this as he charged towards her. She blocked his initial attack and countered with her smaller blade.

Adam reacted fast and switched his sheath into its shotgun mode and shot her smaller sword out of her hand. He then proceeded to swing his blade towards her body. He was knocked away when a blast hit him from his right side and knocked him away from Winter.

Adam looked to see that it was Yang standing between him and Winter. He saw that she had a new arm and gave a smirk at his handy work. **(No pun intended, sorry.)** His smirk went away when he saw that his troopers were getting decimated. "FALL BACK TO THE BRIDGE!"

All the White Fang troops broke off the attack and retreated with Adam. They jumped into their trucks and drove off, while being shot at by everyone else.

Winter looks up to see Weiss holding out her hand to help her up. Winter took her sister's offer and stood up. Sarge walked up to the Schnee sisters and saluted, "Major, what are your orders? Do we pursue?"

Winter looked to Weiss, then to her company, and could tell that they were all exhausted as it is. They were awoken from their sleep and weren't given the time to rest since there battle up the river. She shook her head to Sarge, "No, Sargent. We don't have the strength to go after them. Seal the gate and put up a patrol around the town, no one gets in or out without me hearing of it. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sarge said as he walked towards Junior.

"One more thing," Winter said before Sarge got too far away. Everyone in the company looked nervous to what she was about to say next. They were afraid that she was going to order the company arrested or to call Atlas HQ. "I want radio silence from now until I say otherwise." She looked to the group as she continued, "We can't let them intercept our transmissions."

Everyone then relaxed when they realized that she was helping them, Weiss even started to smile. Sarge saluted to Winter and then walked away with the rest of the Reds.

Winter looked to Weiss; she started to smile, "The things we do for our family."

Weiss hugged her hugged Winter tight. Weiss broke the hug and was about to say something but was cut off by Wash's daughter Sigrid.

"DAD!" Sigrid shouted as she ran up to her father.

"Sigrid, what is it? What's wrong?" Wash asked as he held his daughter.

"Sun… His wound is getting worse; he's in a lot of pain." She said with a lot of fear in her voice.

Winter's ear caught their conversation and walked over to them, "I know what's wrong with him. Take me to him, there's not a lot of time left to save him."

* * *

Everyone ran back to, what was left of, Wash's house. Sun was laying on the kitchen table, shouting in pain and agony. Blake and Bain were trying to hold Sun down as he was thrashing around, while Tilda was using a wet cloth to try and clean the wound.

Bain saw everyone come in, "Dad! We don't know what's wrong!"

Winter walked in ahead of everyone else, she walked over to Sun's wound. She could tell that the poison has begun its job and is now working its way up his veins.

Winter looked to her sister, "Weiss, I need your help on this one."

"What do you need?" Weiss asked as she walked around to the opposite side of Sun.

"Put up a gravity glyph to hold him down." Winter said as she walked outside.

Weiss did as she was instructed. Winter walked up to Wash, "I need 'Kingsfoil'."

"It's a weed; I think they feed that to the pigs." Wash said.

"Where is it?" Ren asked.

"Down two blocks that way, turn left and three more." Wash said as he pointed.

Ren sprinted down the street, following the directions that Wash gave him. Winter went back inside and looked over Sun again. She saw that Blake was holding his right hand, she held it to her chin, tears were starting to fall down her face.

"Ms. Belladonna?" Winter said.

Blake looked to her, "He's going to be ok." She reassured her.

Ren returned with the weed that he was asked to get and gave it to Winter. Winter took the weed and held it in both of her hands. Sun was still shouting and thrashing, even with the gravity glyph holding him down.

"Weiss, remember those green glyphs showed you?" Winter asked.

"I could never get those down right." Weiss said with fear in her eyes.

"I know you can do it. On my mark, we'll do it together." Winter said with confidence in her eyes. She turned to the others, "When she drops the gravity glyph, I need you all to hold him down."

Jaune took Sun's left arm and held it down. Yatsuhashi held both of Sun's legs. Ruby held Sun's head while Blake was still holding on to Sun's right arm. "NOW!" Winter shouted as she squeezed the liquid out of the weed and ported it over the wound.

Sun started to scream louder as the liquid covered the wound. Weiss dropped the gravity glyph and formed a small green glyph on her hands and placed both of them over his wound. The people that were holding him were having a hard time keeping him down.

Winter formed a larger green glyph than Weiss' underneath Sun's body, it started to shine a green light upward while Weiss' shined down on his wound.

Sun's screams began to die down; he then fell limp and stopped moving all together. Blake started to get scared and just as she was about to fear the worst, Sun took in a big breath. Blake let out a sigh of relief, followed by everyone else in the room. Weiss took a few steps back and fell into the chair behind her.

Blake held Sun's head close as tears were dripping down, with a big smile on her face.

Jaune looked to Weiss; he chuckled as he asked "Care to explain?"

"Healing glyph." She said with a smile. "It accelerates a person's immune system; that plus the Kingsfoil, it cured whatever poison was in him." Weiss said as she was out of breath.

Jaune huffed a small laugh, "That's one hell of a glyph."

* * *

 **AN: BOOM! That's a change of pace, don't you think?**

 **I hope you guys like the new way I handled this part of the story.**

 **By the way, for those of you who didn't already know, I updated the first chapter of this story. It has a little bit of bonus content that wasn't there before.**

 **Be back soon with the next chapter.**

 **R &R!**


	16. The Dark Fortress of Dol Guldur

**The Dark Fortress of Dol Guldur**

* * *

 **AN: While I was planning this chapter, I decided to make this chapter all about Qrow going into Dol Guldur, and the following chapter will be about the company getting to Vale and Beacon.**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

(Just outside of Dol Guldur)

Qrow flew in his crow form while Radagast followed on his sled. They traveled all the way from the tombs to Dol Guldur for the past day and a half.

Qrow landed and changed back to normal, "There it is. Dol Guldur." Qrow pulled out his flask and took a sip, "Hard to believe that this place used to be a Vale fortress, now it's a nightmare factory."

"Well, after the Grimm conquered it, it didn't take long for the 'Black Witch' to repurpose it for her own use in the Great War." Radagast said as he walked up to Qrow.

They both stared at the ruined and empty fortress, it looked empty anyway. The walls were black; the towers damaged and broken, making them all look like giant spikes along the walls. While there were actual spikes of iron and bronze all over the framework of the structures.

"It looks completely abandoned." Radagast said with a look of fright in his eyes, he was _really_ wishing he was right.

"That's the point. It looks abandoned, but in reality there is a great spell hiding what is really there." Qrow said with a serious look in his eyes.

"Do you really think _he's_ in there?" Qrow asked, while he was staring at the dark fortress.

"To be completely honest, I pray he isn't. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was." Radagast said with a sad look on his face.

Qrow held his cane in front of Radagast, Radagast was confused to why he was being handed the cane, but he took it anyway. "What are you doing?"

"This way, if I don't come back, they won't have a Diamond Dust shard." Qrow said as he drew his large sword. He looked to Radagast, Contact Glynda, tell her to wait for my signal, and when it comes… bring help." Qrow turned towards Dol Guldur and started walking towards it.

Radagast was starting to get scared, he would go with him, but he had a job to do. He turned around and walked to his slay, but then stopped; he quickly turned around towards Qrow. "Qrow! What if it's a trap?!"

Qrow stopped walking and turned towards him, "Of course it's a trap." Qrow turned back around and continued onward.

* * *

Qrow walked into the nightmare infested fortress. As he walked into the main courtyard, there were weeds and dead branches everywhere. His steps were blanketed by a low fog that went up to his shins. He had to walk carefully to avoid tripping on something beneath the fog.

Once he made it inside the main structure, it looked as bad as the outside was. There were bronze and rusted iron spikes along the walls, along with walls as old and run down as the ones outside. He reached a part of the main building and found an open area, where vines and roots of the forest outside reached the fortress. The roots were all dead.

Qrow put his hand on the root and felt the same sickness in the plant that he felt at the entrance to Mirkwood. Qrow felt the threat getting darker; he pulled out his scroll and pressed a few buttons. Once he was done he closed his scroll and set it down between a branch and the wall, out of plain sight.

Qrow continued to wander the fortress, looking into old passageways and halls until he reached, what he would guess, the prison. He held his sword up, ready to change it into its scythe mode if needed.

As he walked through the corridors he saw a purple glow coming out of one of the rooms in the hallway. He approached the doorway to find that there were two large purple crystals in the room.

Qrow approached the crystals slowly, holding his weapon at the ready for any surprises. Once he was close enough he could see that the crystals were hollow and that there were people inside them. There was frost over the crystals, so he couldn't see their faces, but at first glance he could tell that they were both men.

He wiped the frost off the first crystal and saw a man with blond hair and a long blonde beard, Qrow didn't recognize him. He started swinging his blade at the crystal and broke it open; he pulled the man out and laid him on the ground. He put his ear to the man's chest and heard a heartbeat; the man was starting to breath on his own.

Qrow then went to the other crystal and wiped the frost off to see who it was, when he got a good look he knew instantly who it was. Qrow swung his sword against the crystal repeatedly until he opened a hole big enough to pull the occupant out.

Qrow pulled him out and laid him down on the ground, he put his ear to the man's chest and smiled, Qrow then started shaking him to wake him up. "Ozpin! Come on, buddy. Wake up!"

Ozpin slowly opened his eyes to see that he was in a dark room and Qrow standing over him. "Q-Qrow?"

"Yeah, it's me, pal." Qrow said as he helped Ozpin sit up.

"Uhhhh…" Ozpin groaned, as he was being pulled up. He looked to the other crystal, "Who's that?"

"Don't know. Didn't recognize him." Qrow said as he helped Ozpin stand.

Ozpin moved closer to the other man and tried to get a better look at him. His bear was fairly long, reaching down to his chest. It was completely blond, not a speck of silver in it. Ozpin grew curious and looked under the man's left ear, his eyes widened and tears began to fall. "It's Jonah!"

Qrow's face showed nothing but shock when he heard that name "How do you know it' him? I didn't even recognize him." Qrow said as he was laying him down.

"He has a scar under his left ear, I know because I was there when he got it." Ozpin said as he rested his head on Jonah's chest. When he heard the heartbeat, he let out a sigh of relief. "He's alive."

"This is where he's been all this time?" Qrow asked with sadness all over his face.

"Jonah? Jonah, can you hear me?" Ozpin asked as he shook Jonah.

Jonah let out a small groan, his eyes opened to see two of his oldest friends looking over him. "Ozpin? Qrow?"

They both helped Jonah to sit up. His body had become stiff, it hurt for him to move, so when he was coming up he began to groan in pain. "Ah!"

Ozpin was having a hard time moving on his own as well.

"Where… Where are we, Qrow?" Jonah asked.

"We are in the dungeons of Dol Guldur." Qrow said as he stood up.

"What? For how long?" Ozpin asked. Jonah had a look on his face that asked the same question.

Qrow looked to both of them, "What's the last thing either of you two remembers?"

"I was on patrol along the borders of Vale. I received a message from Ozpin about a Maiden being attacked; when I was on my way home, I was intercepted by the White Fang. My truck exploded, I used my barrier to protect me, but the explosion knocked me out I guess. Then I woke to you two here." Jonah said.

"I remember I was fighting against the one who attacked Amber. She has all the powers of the Fall Maiden now." Ozpin said.

"Then that means we have a Dark Maiden on our hands." Jonah said. "We need to stop her before it's too late."

"Guys." Qrow stopped both of them from standing as he put his hands in front of both of them. "You two have been gone for years. A lot has happened that you too missed."

Those words impacted both Ozpin and Jonah hard. Jonah then realized that Qrow didn't answer Ozpin's question, "How long have we been here?"

"Ozpin has been here for two years. Jonah, you've been here for more than three." Qrow said with sadness in his voice.

Ozpin took the news well, after being defeated by a Dark Maiden, he was happy to still be alive. But his heart began to ache for Jonah's sake.

Jonah's face was full of fear and sadness. He put his hands on his head and gripped his hair. "My son…" Jonah looked to Qrow, "Is my son ok? And my family?"

"Your family is fine. And Jaune…" Qrow was hesitant. He wanted to tell Jonah about what has happened to his son, but he didn't want to hurt him. "He's fine too."

Jonah relaxed at this news, Ozpin had a guilty look on his face as he spoke, "Jonah, I have a confession to make. I let your son join Beacon Academy."

"What? Why would you do that, I specifically told you not to!" Jonah practically shouted as he grabbed Ozpin by the collar.

"I had to." Ozpin said as he was pulling Jonah's hands off him. "You didn't see the state he was in when you were gone."

"He's right, Jonah." Qrow said in Ozpin's defense.

"What do you mean?" Jonah asked with eyes full of betrayal.

"When you were pronounced MIA and declared dead by the council, your son fell apart. He tried to run away from the pain by going to Beacon." Ozpin said.

"How did he manage to get into Beacon? He didn't attend any combat schools." Jonah said.

"Carol gave him her old transcripts. And I finalized them." Ozpin said.

"WHY?!" Jonah shouted again.

"He did it for you, Jonah! He wanted to live up to the family name, and that was the only way he could think of." Qrow said.

Jonah lowered his head in sadness and defeat, "I wanted him to stay out of this… He is a kind hearted man, and war would only destroy such a man."

"He's grown up to be a strong man, and a kind hearted one." Qrow said, "I can speak as a witness to that, myself."

Jonah began to smile somewhat, "Where is he?"

"He's on a mission. He and a company of 13 hunters are on a quest to destroy the dragon that has taken Beacon, Smaug." Qrow said. "You'd be proud of him; he's turned into quite a good leader, like yourself."

"Wait, he's going to Beacon?" Ozpin asked with fear in his voice.

"I gave them the map and key, that way they will retake Beacon with it." Qrow said with a smile.

"Oh, no." Ozpin said with fear in his voice, "They can't go in there!"

"What? Why?" Qrow asked. Jonah started to get worried for Ozpin; he's never seen him this scared before.

"The dragon, Smaug. He's in league with the enemy! If they go into the mountain, they'll be walking into a trap!"

"How do you know?" Jonah asked.

"When I was in that crystal, I could hear _HER_ …" Ozpin said with an ominous voice, "It was like she was inside my head while I was in there. She said that my 'champion' would fall, and that Beacon and Vale would burn."

"I heard her too. She wanted to make a deal with me but I refused." Jonah said with anger in his voice.

"Who does she mean by your 'champion'?" Qrow asked.

"I think she meant—" Ozpin was cut off by the sound of a shriek.

"I think we've spent enough time sitting here." Jonah said.

"Can you move?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah." Jonah stood up and then looked around. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" Ozpin asked.

"My sword. They took it." Jonah said with anger in his eyes and voice.

"I'm sure we'll find it later, but for now we need to go." Qrow suggested as he pointed his blade out the door.

* * *

Qrow stood up faster and helped him up. "Come on, I came in this way."

They back tracked Qrow's trail through the fortress. But then they were stopped by the sound of howls, they belonged to Beowulves. They followed the sound, it lead them to a balcony that showed an exposed section of Dol Guldur.

There they saw thousands of Grimm, from Beowulves, Ursa, Creeps, and even some Deathstalkers.

"Oh my god, I've never seen a hoard that big before." Qrow whispered with fear in his voice.

"That's because it's not a hoard, it's an army. She's gathering an army for war." Jonah said with a serious face.

"And Vale is in her crosshairs." Qrow replied.

They then walked away from the balcony and continued on.

* * *

As they were walking, they started to hear the screeching sound again. They entered a dim corridor and found that there were two figures in the distance.

One was a man, with light blue hair, pale skin and wearing a black cloak. The other looked like a woman, somewhat; her skin was pale like the man, while her hair was pink, the clothing she was wearing was old and shredded cloth with the same color to match her hair.

Qrow stood in front of the others, holding his weapon at the ready.

Jonah looked at the man and saw that he had something that belonged to him, "He has my sword."

Ozpin and Qrow see that he was right. Just as they were about to charge at the two people, the woman opened up her mouth to reveal razor sharp teeth.

 ** _SHEEEEEEEEEE!_**

The woman let out a loud shriek that echoed throughout the fortress. The shriek was so loud; it made the three hunters cover their ears in a futile attempt to block out the painful noise. It also made a massive shockwave that knocked the three hunters off their feet.

Ozpin grabbed both Qrow and Jonah and pulled them down a hallway to their left. They ran as fast as they could. "That was the Summer Banshee!" Jonah shouted, on the count that he could barely hear himself.

"We need to get out of here! This way!" Qrow said as he led them down another corridor.

* * *

They followed Qrow all the way to a bridge that connected two separate towers. Just as they were about to cross, the man appeared in front of them. He opened his cloak and out came large tentacles of shadows.

One came right for Qrow; Qrow swung his blade at it and cut it in half. The tentacles grew back and knocked Qrow against the wall behind them. Ozpin ran to him to try to help him up.

Just as three more tentacles were about to come at the two hunters, Jonah stood between them and held up his hands high. A large, pure-white, barrier formed around him and grew to envelope Ozpin, Qrow and a small portion of the bridge.

The tentacles of shadow pounded on the barrier like a drum. Jonah pushed back every time the barrier began to shrink due to the pressure.

"Your light is almost out, Star Knight." Hades said with an evil grin.

More and more tentacles thrash against the barrier, making Jonah weaker and weaker, with every swing. Jonah could feel his strength was fading fast. He turned his head towards his brothers-in-arms behind him, "Qrow! Take Ozpin and get out of here!"

"We're not leaving you!" Ozpin shouted, but was stopped by Qrow's arm.

"GO! Find my son, and tell him I love him… and I'm proud of him!" Jonah shouted with tears falling form his face. "PLEASE! Do it for me, Ozpin!"

Ozpin didn't want to abandon his friend while he was standing between him and their enemy, but Qrow wouldn't let him go. "We have to go, Oz."

Tears began to fall off Ozpin's face as he shut his eyes tight, he then opened them and shouted back, "WE WILL COME BACK FOR YOU, JONAH!"

Jonah smiled back at them and nodded, he then turned towards his enemy and started to march towards him. The barrier moved with him and grew once again. Ozpin and Qrow took this opportunity and ran.

As Jonah was pushing his barrier forward, he was actually making Hades back off. Hades was having a hard time keeping Jonah from getting close enough to retrieve his sword; he hit him ten tentacles at a time to try to drive the knight back.

Jonah held his ground, his feet were planted so hard it began to make the bridge's bricks crack under the pressure.

 ** _SHEEEEEEEEEE!_**

The Summer Banshee came out from behind Hades' shadows and started shrieking at Jonah. Her shriek's shockwaves hit against Jonah's barrier, weakening it even more.

Jonah's barrier started to crack, he held his hand sup high, he even began to shout out the pain he was being put through just to protect himself. The barrier shattered, and he was sent flying back by the Banshee's shockwave.

He landed against the wall behind him; he sat himself up against the wall. He looked up to see the Banshee standing over him. "If you're going to do it, do it already." Jonah said with blood dripping out of his mouth. He couldn't move, after being in those crystals for three years, he was lucky he was able to move as well as he did; now his strength has completely left him.

The Banshee was about to open her mouth but was stopped, " **No.** " The Banshee turned around to face who spoke out against her, once she saw who it was she bowed to her and moved away from Jonah.

Jonah slowly lifted his head to see who called off the ghost. He looked to find the demon sorcerous his father once spoke of. The one who once controlled the corrupted land, the first orchestrated the Great War between all the four kingdoms almost a more than a century ago. "Salem." Jonah said.

Salem walked over to Jonah and kneeled down to him. She placed on hand on the beard covering his left cheek. " **I didn't want this for you. If you had accepted my offer when you were in the crystals, none of this would have had to happen.** " Her face almost looked sad, but she had cold serious eyes.

Jonah's strength was fading, he barely had enough speak. "I would rather die…" He took a deep breath, "Than live forever as your puppet."

Salem's face showed her disappointment, " **That's too bad.** " She stood up and turned around, " **I will just have to make do with your son.** " She walked up to Hades, " **Make it quick.** "

After receiving giving her order, Salem vanished into the black mist, leaving Jonah and Hades alone on the bridge. Hades walked over to Jonah, he held his hand out and formed a pitchfork out of the shadows. "And so comes the twilight of the Star Knight of Vale."

Hades pointed his pitchfork at Jonah's chest, and raised it high. Jonah closed his eyes and thought back to his family. His wife, seven daughters, and his son. A small smile grew on his face _"Goodbye."_

* * *

Ozpin and Qrow were still running down the corridors until they heard a loud bang not too far away. They stopped completely when they heard the sound.

Ozpin started to tear up; he slammed his fists against the walls around him.

Qrow's anger soared, he gripped his weapon tight.

Just as they were about to continue, they were jumped by White Fang troopers. Just as Qrow was about to raise his weapon, he heard a voice speak behind him.

"If you know what's good for your friend, Branwen, you'd stand down." Said one of the Lieutenants.

Qrow turned to face the lieutenant and saw that he was holding Ozpin by the neck with a knife to his throat.

Qrow dropped his sword and was tackled by two big troopers. Once on the ground, they placed hand cuffs that looked similar to the ones from Atlas. Just as he was about to lift his head to look up he was kicked right in the face, knocking him out.

* * *

 **AN: I know what you are thinking, that was a brutal chapter.** **:'(** **  
Believe me, it hurt to write that.**

 **The next chapter will all be about the company, and everything else.**

 **R &R**


	17. The Desolation of Smaug

**The Desolation of Smaug**

* * *

 **Hello everyone, sorry it took so long.  
I started working on this chapter when I came back from vacation.**

 **Also, I would like to inform everyone that Chapters 2 and 3 have been updated and given new content. (For those of you who haven't read the updates yet)**

* * *

 **(To start off this chapter I have decided to do my own version of "World of Remnant".  
This WoR chapter will be following the part of the Star Knight legend that involves the Nazgul, hope you like it.)**

 ** _Nazgul Part 1:_**

It had been decades after the first Maidens and Star Knights passed away and their powers passed on through the generations.

As powerful as the Maidens were, they were still human, they made mistakes. Some of those mistakes were worse than others. But this mistake was unforgivable.

There comes a time in a Maiden's life where they have to choose between the dark path and the light. These Maidens were the ones who chose the dark path and fell from grace; they became the Dark Maidens, otherwise known as the Nazgul.

The first maiden was the " **Winter Witch** ". The Winter Witch was the first of the Maidens to fall into darkness by choice. Some say it was because she wanted more power, others say that her life prior to being a maiden was too cruel and corrupted her. There is no record as to her true intentions for succumbing to the darkness; the legends only tell how powerful her wrath was.

She hailed from Atlas, and blanketed the continent in a blizzard that lasted for 11 months. With no sunlight, the farms died out, and the rivers froze. The country was on the brink of collapse and anarchy. Ever since the blizzard started, the Star Knight of Atlas searched for the maiden. It wasn't until the twelfth month that he found her and challenged her to a duel. The battle lasted for hours until the knight defeated her. After she was slain, the sun pierced through the clouds and shined over Atlas again.

The second Maiden to fall was the " **Spring Harpy** ". When she fell, Vacuo almost fell to a famine and plague from her power. While her power was to help plants grow, the darkness corrupted her power. She had the power to make things grow, but they were poisonous. She laid waste to farm lands and crops, butchering life stalk by the thousands and poisoning them so that they could not be used as food.

Rivendell became the safe haven to all the people as being the last place the maiden had not poisoned. The Star Knight of Vacuo slayed her before she had a chance go to Rivendell and poison it's water. In the aftermath of the battle, all the poisonous plants that were made by the maiden died out and turned into sand, blanketing a large portion of the country. It was a bitter sweet victory, but Vacuo survived.

The third of the Maidens to fall was the " **Summer Banshee** ". Her fall to darkness wasn't that well known at first, which made her even more dangerous. Unlike the other Dark Maidens before her, she didn't want her country destroyed; she wanted to rule it for herself.

She may have had the powers of the elements, but she primarily liked to use her voice as a weapon. Using the wind to carry her voice and enhance it allowed her to make it into a very dangerous weapon. She carried out numerus assassinations and wiped out hundreds of small towns in an attempt to attain a higher platform. What she had failed to take into the account was that there were people that looked into the killings; one the people was the Star Knight of Mistral. When the trail led him to the Maiden, she didn't give him any other choice than to kill her. After she was dead, everyone in Mistral carried on with their lives as if nothing had happened.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked that.  
The next chapter will have the second part to my 'WoR' history lessons.**

 **Now on to the next chapter!**

* * *

Jaune was walking through a hallway, a hallway that looked very familiar to him. As he was walking, he heard the same creaks in the wood as he did when he was growing up. He was home, in the Shire, where he was born and raised.

Jaune looked into some of the rooms and saw that there were a few people in the beds, there were two bunk beds in the room across the hall. He remembered them to be some of his sister's rooms. They were all asleep; he looked at the clock on one of the end tables next to one of the beds and saw that it was 8:45 PM April 24th 80 AGW. **(After Great War)**

It took him a second to realize; he wasn't just home, he was home on the last day he saw his father. Jaune could hear the front door open; he sprinted past the rooms, not carrying if he might accidently wake up his little sisters in the process.

Once Jaune reached the front door he saw his father standing there. He was a tall man, 6 foot 2; he pretty much looked like an adult version of Jaune. He didn't have a beard; he had a clean face, with a few scars along his cheek and below his left ear.

Jaune also saw himself, his 17 year old self, standing in front of him, staring at his dad while he was opening the door. "Dad?"

Jonah turned around to see his 17 year old son standing there, still in his pajamas. "Jaune, what are you doing up? You should still be in bed."

"The garage door woke me up and I heard you gather your things. Are you leaving again?" the 17 year old Jaune asked.

"Yes, work called me in about something important." Jonah said as he closed the door and walked up to Jaune.

"When will you be back?" Jaune asked.

"Hopefully within a week." Jonah said as he was picking up his stuff. "I should be back in time for our trip to the beach. I promise."

"Ok." Jaune said with a warm smile.

Jonah looked into his son's eyes as if he had just made a decision. He then pulled out the same cross Jaune had on before out from under his shirt. He took it off and held it out to Jaune. "This has always brought me luck. I feel that it's past time I give it to you for safe keeping." Jonah said with a smile.

Jaune responded with a smile and a tight hug. Jonah hugged his son back and placed the cross necklace on Jaune's neck. "You take care of your sisters while I'm gone."

Jonah then picked up his bags and walked out the door. He didn't like having to leave as often as he did, but he had a job to do, a job that he hopes Jaune will never have to endure when he comes of the age.

Jonah sat on his bike and turned it on; he looked back to his house and waved off his son as he drove away.

* * *

Jaune woke up to find that he was back in Wash's house in Lake Town. He was surprised by the kind of dream that he had; it was the first time he ever had a dream that was really a memory.

He felt a little cramped in the house, so he climbed out of the couch and walked over a couple of his friends and walked out the doorway. The door was broken during the fight from a few hours ago, but they put a large tarp over the doorway to give them a sense of privacy.

Once outside, he had the sudden urge to go to the roof. He walked around to the left side of the house and climbed up the latter. Once he was on the roof, he walked over to the chimney and sat down next to it.

The view he had of the town from the roof was remarkable. Lights to every house, the moonlight reflecting off the water below made the town glow between buildings.

Jaune heard footsteps behind him, he didn't turn to see who it was, just kept looking at the beautiful sight.

It turned out to be someone he hadn't talked to in a while. Pyrrha sat down next to him, on the right side; she looked out to what Jaune was looking at and smiled. "Quite a breathtaking sight. This almost reminds me of our old spot at the academy."

Jaune smiled at the mention of those memories. "Yeah, I felt a little bit of nostalgia too when I saw this view."

"Couldn't sleep?" Pyrrha asked as she looked to him. "Had another nightmare?"

"No… Memory actually." Jaune said with a small smirk.

"What was the memory about?" Pyrrha asked.

"It was the last time I saw my dad… before he was declared MIA." Jaune said with a sad tone. Jaune pulled his cross out from under his shirt and held it out. "It was also the same day he gave me this. He said it always brought him luck, and that he wanted me to have it."

Jaune let the cross slide out of his hand and swing down to his chest and looked out to the view in front of him. "I miss him. I also wish he was here."

"What do you think he would say if he was?" Pyrrha asked

Jaune chuckled a little, "He'd probably curse me out for going on a crazy mission like this. He never wanted me to be a soldier."

"He never taught you to fight?" Pyrrha asked.

"No. But if it weren't for my mom teaching me how to use my shield properly, I don't think I would have survived in Beacon as long as I did." Jaune said with a slight smile.

Pyrrha smiled and leaned on Jaune's shoulder, like they before.

Jaune looked out to the city and sighed, "You know… I didn't do this just because I wanted to go after Cinder… I did this because I wanted to make my dad proud. Make him proud by not only taking up the family mantel, but also liberating Vale and Beacon."

"All Star Knight Legends have to start somewhere. For you, this is your start: taking back Beacon and Vale." Pyrrha said as she wrapped her arms around his right arm.

"Yeah…" Jaune said with a smile. He then saw that the sun began to rise from behind the cliffs to the East. "Now let's go get this legend started."

Pyrrha let Jaune go so that he could stand. He then walked down from the roof and walked back into the house.

* * *

(Lake Town docks)

The company was all well rested and was ready for the next step on their journey. Junior followed through with his promise and provided the company with the nessisary food supplies and bullets they would need to reach Beacon.

Winter was with the company, checking off the roster for everything they needed before they left the town.

Jaune walked up to Winter, "Winter, I know you don't follow my orders, but I need you to stay here."

"What? There is no way I am doing that. I came all this way to be with my sister." Winter said with anger and irritation in her tone.

"I know, and I will always be grateful that. But we need you here, just in case." Jaune said.

"Just in case what?" Junior asked as he approached him, followed by the twins. Wash heard what Jaune said and came up to them to hear what he had to say.

Jaune sighed out of slight irritation, "Look, I can't guaranty that Lake Town will remain safe while we deal with Smaug."

"What do you mean?" Wash asked.

"Well, there are at least a hundred Grimm in Beacon, standing guard for Smaug, right? Once we kill them, nothing's going to stop them from attacking the nearest city with people in it. Or if Smaug himself comes here." Jaune said with a worried look on his face.

"Why do you want me to stay then?" Winter asked.

"Just in case you are needed here; you're the only one here who can fly the Bullhead. You can provide air cover or evacuations, if necessary." Jaune said.

"I agree with Jaune. This is the safest way." Weiss said as she walked up to them.

Winter didn't like leaving her sister to go off to take on a dragon without her, but she knew that they were right. "Ok. But if it looks like you need me, I'm gonna come in guns blazing."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Weiss said with a smile.

"Uh, guys. We have a problem." Penny said as she walked up to the group of leaders.

"What is it, Penny?" Jaune asked.

"I've been listening to Atlas radio chatter, and apparently the CCT network is about to crash." Penny said with fear in her eyes.

"What? When will crash?" Weiss asked.

"From what they could estimate, approximately 36 hours, and when the network goes down, all the communications around the world will go down." Penny said.

"And without any communications in or out of the kingdoms, we'll all be vulnerable to a surprise attack!" Winter said.

"Damn it! I thought we would have more time!" Jaune said as he pounded his fist against one of the dock's pillars.

"Relax, Jaune. Neptune, Velvet and I can fix it." Weiss said with a calm voice.

Jaune looked to her with a confused look on his face, "You can?"

"Yeah, our friendship isn't the only reason why we came along. We all have specific jobs to fix the tower." Weiss said.

"The power generators are similar to the power cells in my rifle; I know how to bring them back online." Neptune said with a confident smile and crossed arms.

"Yeah, good thing he's a nerd." Sun said with a chuckle.

"Intellectual!" Neptune said with an annoyed voice.

"I know the proper wiring to bring the main dish back on. It's similar to how I sync my camera to my holo-pack." Velvet said as she pulled out her camera.

"And I know the proper programing code to restart the CCT network system." Weiss said as she put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes with a smile.

Winter smiled, "Well, looks like you're all set to kill a dragon and fix the tower." Winter held out her hand to Jaune, "Good luck, Mr. Arc."

Jaune shook her hand, "Thanks for your help, Major."

"Come on you guys, we're burning daylight!" Nora shouted as she was standing on top of the _Grizzly_.

Everyone started to run to the boat, Sun was limping mostly. Jaune noticed the limp as he ran past Sun and stopped. Jaune put his hand in front of Sun, stopping him from getting onboard.

"What are you doing?" Sun asked.

"I saw you limping, Sun. You can't go; you'll only get yourself killed." Jaune said.

"I came this far, don't ask me to stay behind!" Sun said with anger in his eyes.

"If Sun is staying, than I am too." Blake said as she jumped off the boat.

"Blake we need you." Jaune said as he grabbed Blake's arm to stop her.

"Sun needs me more." Blake said as she pulled her arm free from Jaune's grasp.

Jaune didn't like the idea of leaving Sun behind, but the fate of the mission was too important to risk anyone. That, and he didn't want to risk Blake suffering the same way he does every day since the Fall of Beacon. _"At least they are together."_ "Let's move out!" Jaune ordered the rest of the company.

"But, Jaune? They—" Ruby begged but was interrupted by Jaune.

"We can't wait any longer. If we lose our chance to get into Beacon, this has all been for nothing and the network goes down." Jaune said as he walked onboard the ferry.

Ruby looked to Sun and Blake, "We'll be back. I promise."

"Give them hell!" Sun said with a smile.

Wash's ferry disconnected from the docks and turned towards the City of Vale.

Winter walked up to Blake and Sun, she looked down to see that Sun's wound was still there. "Why don't you two come with me? We can wait at the air-pad and I can finish healing that up for you."

"Thanks." Blake said with a smile as they walked away from the docks.

Winter turned around one more time, watching the ferry float away, _"Be careful, little snow flake."_

* * *

(City of Vale's harbor)

Wash's ferry entered the main bay. Weiss stood on top of the Grizzly; looking through special binoculars, she looks on ahead to see any signs of Grimm. In the HUD **(Heads-up Display)** of the binoculars, it said 'Grimm Activity: 0%'.

"All clear at the docks." Weiss said. She then pulled up the holo-map that would lead them to the hidden door. "Ok, I have the exact map on where to go once we dock."

"Alright, everyone into the vehicles, once we reach the shore, we ride out." Jaune said to the company, he then looked to Wash, "We'll call you when we're done and you can pick us up."

"You got it." Wash agreed.

Once they were close enough to the beach to drop the ramp, Wash hopped off his seat and ran to the ramp controls. Jaune was sitting in his bike while Wash was lowering the ramp. Wash turned to him as the ramp continued to lower, "Good luck in there."

"You take care of your family." Jaune said with a smile. His face was then covered when his helmet closed over his mouth and lowered tinted glass over his eyes.

At the moment the ramp touched the soggy sand, Jaune revved up his engine and rode off the ferry. Yang was second to ride off, once she was on dry land, she popped a wheelie and followed Jaune. Yatsuhashi floored the accelerator on the _Grizzly_ and stormed down the beach.

* * *

(Ruined City of Vale)

The company was driving through the city. As they were driving, Yang couldn't help but look at all the old places they used to hang out back then, now they were all abandoned and worn out.

"This place looks like a ghost town." Yang said on the radio.

"It is." Weiss said.

The company drove up to one of the main parks to the city and found that its trees were all burned and the ground scorched. Ruby looked out the window to the sad sight. "What happened here? It almost looks recent."

"It is. Well, it happened a few months ago." Jaune said on the radio. "The same day the Atlas Scouts reported that Smaug was missing from the tower, they reported that the city of Vale was burning."

Right then, the company drove through a scorched neighborhood with buildings in pieces and trees charred to black. Everyone in the Grizzly walked over to the windows to see the scorched city they were driving in.

"I heard about that." Weiss said with a sad voice, "They called it 'The Desolation of Smaug'. That's also the same day they named him, too." Weiss looked down on the map to see where they are going. "Ok, we need to get out of the city and make our way to Beacon. Keep going down here for three more miles then take a right."

* * *

The company made it outside of Vale and was now on the road to Beacon. Weiss looked at the map to see that they had to take a path that lead down to the Cliffside below the landing area.

"Uh, Jaune?" Ruby said on the radio.

"Yeah?" Jaune answered back.

"We made it to Beacon; shouldn't we wait for Qrow like he told us to?" Ruby asked.

Everyone realized that she was right, they were to wait for him before they were supposed to go into the crystal caves.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. But we can't wait for him, it's already 6:00 and the sun is going down. I'm sure he will understand." Jaune said into the radio. He didn't like the idea, but he knew that Qrow wouldn't want them to miss their only chance to open the door because he was late.

Ruby felt conflicted about not waiting for Qrow, but she felt that Jaune was right. _"We can't stop now, not when we're so close."_

* * *

It took a while, but they managed to find the path that would lead them down to the cliff side safely. Weiss continued to look at the map to see any landmarks that would help them to see the entrance. "According to the map, the door should be somewhere below us."

Yatsuhashi had to drive slowly so that they wouldn't accidently drive off the road or cause a rockslide. Jaune and Yang rode off ahead to act as scouts. They then saw what looked like a statue of a king holding a long sword with both hands in front of its chest. The statue was fifty feet tall, it was deep inside the Cliffside, making its arms apart of the road.

"Hey, Weiss, does that map show a king with a sword on it?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, there is drawing of one right next to where it says the entrance is." Weiss said as she zoomed in on the map.

"Then we found the entrance." Jaune said with a smile.

The _Grizzly_ reached the statue; everyone had their jaws on the floor. Yatsuhashi parked the tank close to the cliff wall. Everyone exited and stared in awe of the large statue.

"And to think that this has been here all this time, why didn't we know about this before?" Coco asked.

"I think I know." Nora said, "From looking at it on top, it would look like normal rock formations, but when you look at it at eye level, you can see it. The Valkyrie clan has done stuff like that in the past."

Everyone looked at Nora wish shock. Jaune was the first to break out of the shock and come back to reality. "Well, let's find that hidden door. The sun will be down soon."

* * *

(The Spire)

Cinder was standing on one of the balconies of the top floor, looking at the sight of Beacon and Vale. They were pretty far, but close enough to be seen. Emerald walked up to Cinder, a datapad in her hands.

"Cinder?" Emerald said.

"Yes?" Cinder replied.

"From what our tests show, you were right, whatever is making her resistant to our reconditioning methods is wearing off. Soon we will be able to turn her." Emerald said.

"Excellent, anything else?" Cinder said.

"Well, it's sort of bad news actually." Emerald said with a slightly nervous voice.

"What kind of bad news?" Cinder asked with a calm voice.

"Well… Adam contacted us, he failed to kill Arc. He said he suffered a lot of casualties and is requesting that you send him some of our White Fang troopers to help." Emerald said.

Cinder didn't say anything for a few seconds. She was disappointed that Adam failed his task, but then she realized what this also meant for Arc and his friends. "Tell him to come to the spire, with all of his men he has left. I would very much like to speak with him personally."

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald said.

* * *

(Down in the lower prison)

Pyrrha was standing next to her cell door, trying to pick the lock with a plastic fork she had from her dinner. She had to file one of the teeth to the fork so that it could fit inside the keyhole. She could hear the lock turning and successfully opened the door.

Pyrrha slowly opened the door and saw that there was nobody in the cellblock. She quietly walked down the hallway, since she was barefoot, her footsteps didn't echo in the hallway.

She reached the elevator and turned it on. She pressed the button that said 'Surface floor'. Once the elevator reached the surface floor, she heard footsteps outside the door. She hid to the side of the door right when it opened.

A guard holding a sword walked past it, he stopped and walked towards it. Right when he was inside, Pyrrha hit him at the back of the neck, knocking him out. She picked up the sword and pulled him inside of the elevator. She then pressed all the elevator buttons that would go down and ran out the elevator.

She made her way to the nearest exit to the tower, which surprisingly was the main entrance. She could see looked outside and saw daylight. She almost cried because she hadn't seen daylight for months now.

She saw that the guards in the outer wall were facing outside instead of in. _"They are more focused on what's outside than in. I need to find a way through the wall and make my escape when the sun goes down."_

* * *

(At the statue of the king)

The sun was falling fast. Jaune had everyone load up on their bullets and ate some of their provisions. That way if they get into a fight, they would be ready for anything.

Jaune found a stairway that lead up the statue's head and found granite and gray walls behind the head, "I found the door!" Jaune shouted.

Everyone ran up behind him and saw the walls. The sunlight was still shining on the wall; Jaune started putting his hands on the wall, trying to feel for the keyhole. "It's got to be here somewhere. Try to find it!"

Velvet and Fox walked up to the wall and started looking around. They touched the walls to see if they could find any hints as to where the door could be. This continued for about twenty minutes.

Jaune looked behind them to see that the sun was going down, "We're losing the light. Hurry!"

Fox tried tapping on the wall to try to find a hollow spot while Velvet was looking for some kind of crease or crack from the door. "Damn, this thing's starting to get on my nerves!" Fox said in frustration.

"Break it down then!" Jaune shouted.

Fox and Velvet moved away from the wall as Nora and Yatsuhashi walked up to it. They held their weapons high and then began to slam them against the wall. Their weapons were hitting the wall with great force, but the wall appeared to have no damage, not even so much as a chip off the rock.

Yatsuhashi stopped first, he didn't want to risk breaking his sword. Nora motioned everyone to step back, once they did, she swung her hammer with all her might, while firing a grenade at the wall.

Once the pink smoke cleared, they all looked to find that the wall was undamaged. Nora was the most shocked by this revelation.

"Maybe we're in the wrong place?" Ruby asked as she walked up to Weiss.

"No, we're here. No mistake." Weiss said as she showed Ruby the map.

"That door must be charmed with some kind of spell; if there wasn't a spell, there would be a crater in the wall." Nora said with a depressed voice.

And before they knew it, the sun light was gone. Jaune turned around to see that the sun was out of sight. "No! Ugh!" Jaune shouted, he pounded his right fist against the wall and rested his head on the gray rock. "'Wait till the last light of New Year's Eve shines and you will find the keyhole as clear as day.'… What a joke!" Jaune pushed himself off the rock and walked towards the cliff.

 _"This mission was just to get me back on my feet and cleaning up the mess that you made!"_ "MANIPULATOR TO THE END, EH, OZPIN?!" Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs.

Jaune felt a hand rest on his shoulder; he turned to see it was Pyrrha. "What do you want to do now, Jaune?"

Everyone was standing there waiting for whatever he was going to do next, they didn't know wat to say to comfort him, and all they could do was wait. Jaune was looking at them with a sad look on his face. "Let's just go home." After saying that, Jaune pulled out the key that Qrow gave him to use for the door, and dropped it on the ground.

They all started walking down the stare way towards the vehicles. Weiss was the only one left standing near the wall; she continued to look at map, trying to see where they went wrong. She looked over the message that Ozpin left for them again and read it word-for-word. _"Stand below the cliff side of the school. There you will find large walls of Granit and Gray stone and wait till the last light of New Year's Eve shines and you will find the keyhole as clear as day."_

"Last light… Last light…" Weiss continued to pace back and forth while repeating those words. She continued to pace until she noticed that the area she was standing in was getting brighter, she looked up to the sky to see that there was a full moon. "Last light… Moon light! Like the Moon Runes!" She looked towards the wall and saw that there was a light shining on it, she walked up to it and saw a hole in the wall that wasn't there before, "And you will find the keyhole as clear as day!"

Weiss began to get excited. "GUYS! I FIGURED IT OUT! IT WASN'T SUNLIGHT, IT WAS MOON LIGHT! COME UP HERE!"

Weiss then started looking for the key. She couldn't remember where Jaune dropped it, so she crawled around where he was standing last. She waved her hands around the ground to try and feel for the key, it worked. But when her hand brushed the key it was sent flying towards the cliff. Weiss' heart stopped as she could only watch the key fall off the cliff. The key was stopped when a foot came down on top of it; it was now pinned against the edge of the cliff.

Weiss looked up to find Jaune standing there; there was a look of thankfulness and happiness in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Jaune pulled the key out from under his foot and held it up. Everyone else reached the top of the steps again to see that Weiss was right. Jaune walked over to the wall and inserted the key into the keyhole and turned clockwise.

Jaune then rested his hand on the wall and slowly pushed on it. The wall moved inward as soon as he pushed it. Jaune looked inside and saw that there wasn't a crystal cave, but a hallway, a hand carved stone hallway.

* * *

(Spire, outer perimeter)

Pyrrha succeeded in slipping past the guards and started running in the general direction away from the tower.

As she was running through the forest, she found a dirt road that lead to the Spire. She then heard vehicles not too far away. She stopped dove into the bushes in front of her. Once the trucks drove past, she started running again.

After running for about five minutes, she started to hear footsteps behind her. She turned quickly, expecting it to be Grimm, but she found that there was no one there.

Pyrrha's old huntress skills were jumpstarting again. And when they did, she knew that she wasn't alone out here; and not only that, it wasn't a Grimm.

Pyrrha pulled out the sword that she stole from the White Fang guard and held it up in her battle stance. She continued to look around to see if she can spot who was following her.

Her search was stopped when she felt something hit her in the chest. It felt like someone had just kicked her in the chest.

She fell back a few feet and saw that there was no one in sight. _"What the hell? Where'd he go?"_

The moonlight started to shine down on her as the clouds started to part. Despite being under the trees, there were some rays of moonlight piercing through. Pyrrha started to see something strange in the light, it looked like the light was being rippled.

Her eyes began to widen as the ripple started to move towards her. She raised her sword up and blocked something, it sounded like metal hitting metal.

She could still see the ripple and charged at it with a stabbing motion. Something blocked her sword and then hit her in the face, this time it felt like a fist.

She flipped herself back up and swung her sword incase whoever it was was coming at her again. She didn't hit anything.

 _"I'm getting nowhere with this. Let's try this."_ Pyrrha thought as she closed her eyes. She could hear leaves crackling under pressure and small sticks cracking. She swung her sword to the left and hit something metal. She opened her eyes to see that it was the ripple. She quickly swung again, much harder and faster this time and hit the ripple again.

The second time she hit the ripple, it cut something off. When the object landed, it became visible; it was a black shoulder armor plate with a green stripe on it.

Pyrrha looked to the ripple and saw that the person she was fighting was becoming visible. It was a tall man in black armor with green stripes. His armor looked similar to that of an Atlisan soldier.

"Not bad. I bet you'd be a lot harder to fight if you were able to use your semblance." The soldier said.

"I don't need my semblance to beat you." Pyrrha said.

"We'll see." The man said.

The man pulled out his sword and held it at the ready and then charged at Pyrrha. Pyrrha charged at him with full force.

Pyrrha was determined to win and be free, but she couldn't help but feel weak. She may have been fed by her captures, but it wasn't enough to keep her fully fit.

Pyrrha blocked every swing the soldier through at her, but she could feel that it was getting harder to hold her ground. She attempted a counter attack, but her sword was broken in two after three swings.

"Looks like you chose the wrong kind of weapon." The soldier said, he then hit Pyrrha in the face with the palm of his right hand, knocking her to the ground and unconscious, due to malnourishment and exhaustion.

"Normally I wouldn't care, but I almost feel sad that I have to take you back there to be locked up. But then again, I need the money." The soldier said as he picked her up and started walking up the road to a transport truck that was stopped in the middle of the road. Once he got onboard, they continued towards the Spire.

* * *

(Spire, Main Gate)

Adam and what was left of his convoy arrived at the Spire Main Gate. Adam exited his truck and was welcomed by Cinder herself, along with Emerald and Mercury.

Adam kneeled down to Cinder, "Forgive me; I failed in the mission you gave me."

"Please stand, my friend. I do not blame you for your failure. And do not worry, what you were promised will still be given to you." Cinder said as she put her hand under Adam's chin.

They all heard some trucks pulling up, soldiers with blacked out armor walked out, one of them being the green striped soldier from earlier. He pulled out Pyrrha, who was still unconscious, and put her over his shoulder. He set her down in front of the group, "You need to upgrade your security."

"Locus." Adam hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hades told me to come here. He didn't think you were up to the task of killing that Arc knight." Locus said. "So he asked a _real_ professional."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Adam shouted as he reached for his sword. All the other White Fang troopers pointed their weapons at Locus, while Locus' troops pointed their weapons at the White Fang.

"Now, now, my friends. We are all here for a common purpose." Cinder said as she raised her hands up to both warriors. "We can't fight amongst ourselves; otherwise we won't be able to fight our enemies."

Locus was the first to call off his guards, Adam did the same, but he didn't like it.

"Now… Thank you, Locus, for retrieving our 'guest'. You and your mercenaries will be our honored guests along with the White Fang. I have something special planned for our 'guest'. In fact, I think you all will enjoy it." Cinder said with a smile on her face as she pointed to Pyrrha, "Follow me, and bring her with you."

They all followed Cinder to the top of the tower, looking at the balcony that showed both Beacon and Vale. Cinder stood on top of the balcony's railing and then stepped off. A fire formed beneath her feet and lifted her up above them, even higher than the tower. "I think its past time for a change of scenery."

Cinder's eyes began to glow with red flames coming out of them. She held her hands low, then slowly started to raise them up.

Down on the ground, everyone inside the gate and walls could feel the ground shaking. The men on the outer wall could see that they were beginning to go higher. The tower itself started move upward. From a distance, you could see that not only the tower, but everything that was around the tower, including the lower levels were being pulled out of the ground.

Now Cinder had her hands all the way up, she then turned around and motioned her arms forward towards Beacon.

Everyone on the balcony were holding on to anything that was bolted down or stuck to the tower to keep themselves from falling off. They were moving so fast, it woke Pyrrha up. She was saddened and angered that she was back at the tower, and at the same time she was scared that the tower was moving.

Cinder moved the tower right over a Cliffside that was tall enough and closes enough to have a better view of both Beacon and Vale. And to Cinder's surprise, she could even see Lake Town from that height. She then slowly lowered the Spire down to the ground; she moved underneath the tower and turned the ground underneath into lava.

When the lower levels of the tower touched the ground, the ground swallowed the lower levels like water would. The charmed glass that the tower was made out off would hold long enough for the lava to cool, but as a precaution she ordered the people in the lower levels to evacuate to the higher ones before Adam and Locus arrived.

Once the Spire's decent came to a halt, she flew back up to the top and landed on the balcony. "Now, isn't this a better view?"

"A view of what?" Pyrrha demanded.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. I wouldn't want you to miss this." Cinder said as she turned towards Mercury. "Is it there yet?"

"The drone will be there in a few seconds." Mercury said as he was pressing buttons on his scroll.

"What do you not want me to miss?" Pyrrha almost regretted asking, but she felt that she had to know.

"Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc's final chapter in this story is about to being." Cinder said with a devious grin.

* * *

 **AN: BOOOOM!  
What do you guys think of that?**

 **I will have the next chapter done a lot sooner next time, I promise.  
Along more "World of Remnant" stories. :)**

 **R &R!**


	18. Waking the sleeping Grimm

**Waking the sleeping Grimm**

* * *

 **AN: Now to continue on the "World of Remnant" tale on the Nazgul.**

 ** _Nazgul part 2:_**

Although it was awful that there were Maidens who fell from grace and became evil, it was a tragedy when the knights who were born to protect the kingdoms succumbed to the same darkness.

Because the Maiden's powers move to random people after the previous host dies, there is no record of previous hosts. But for Star Knights, it is easy. Star Knights have bloodlines, and every generation has their own story, most of them good, some bad, but there were two that were the worst.

The Star Knights were no more immune to corruption than the Maidens were. So far, there have only been two who fallen so far as to become known as "Black Knights". There have been many cases when a Star Knight almost went too far, but they redeemed themselves in the end. These two however, weren't so fortunate.

The first was Rourke Numenor. He was a brilliant military commander, best strategist of his generation. At the time of his generation, Atlas had been engulfed in civil war. When he attained the mantel of Star Knight he brought down hundreds of resistance cells in a matter of weeks. Atlas became a whole country again soon after. As the days of peace went on, he became more paranoid and arrogant; he felt that the other kingdoms saw Atlas as weak because of the civil war.

Rourke planned a surprise attack on the Kingdom of Vale, hoping to take the capital before the other kingdoms caught wind of it. He would have succeeded if it hadn't been for the sudden snow storm that froze Atlas' main harbor and halt his fleet. Rourke knew immediately who it was that brought the snow, it was the Winter Maiden. She demanded that he stand down his army and return to Atlas, in exchange, they wouldn't execute him or his troops for war crimes. He refused, but his army accepted. He cursed his army and attacked the Maiden. The Winter Maiden defeated and killed Rourke after two hours of fighting, and when he was to be buried, the other Star Knights declared him a traitor and forever labeled him " **The Black Knight of Atlas** ".

The second was Ratcliffe Smith. He was an expert swordsman and a great negotiator. A generation after the death of the Summer Harpy, he attained the mantel of his father. At first he was doing a great job helping with the restoration of the kingdom, but he soon became greedy. Being highborn and given great power made him both arrogant and ambitious.

Ratcliffe attempted a coup over the king of Vacuo; claiming that a leader with great power and great ambition should rule instead of the weak. He almost succeeded, up until the Summer Maiden of that generation stopped his plan in his tracks. She faced him, defeated him, but she did not kill him. Ratcliffe was hanged for his crimes and declared a traitor by the Star Knights. He was later labeled as "The Black Knight of Vacuo".

After the death of all three Dark Maidens and Black Knights, their bodies were sent to the continental strips of Lantis. They were buried in one of the mountains of Rudaur. Every time they placed corpse of one of the Nazgul in the tomb, it would get darker and darker. When the **Blake Knight of Vacuo** was buried, the tomb became pitch black, even the torches weren't enough to see into the tomb.

The tomb was sealed by ancient spells made to block both the living and the dead from leaving those tombs. Spells so powerful and so old, they were said to be unbreakable.

Although they were all buried at different times, the Star Knights felt that there was something that connected all of them together, and that whatever it was, may attempt to seduce decedents like it did with the ones before.

* * *

 **AN: So, here we go. Now our favorite company is about to face off with the Grimm Dragon Smaug.**

 **I have to admit, I was excited/nervous to write this chapter.**

 **This chapter is a big one, and with GOOD reason.  
Hope you all enjoy it! :) **

* * *

(Secret door on cliff side)

The shock of the door opening was still fresh on everyone's faces. Jaune walked in first, he then saw what appeared to be a map, a map that revealed that the 'crystal cave' was really a 'crystal labyrinth'.

"Holly lord… Weiss, take a look at this." Jaune said with shock all over his face.

Weiss walked in and was shocked at the sight of the map too. "This is incredible. There is an entire labyrinth beneath Beacon Academy."

Just before Jaune walked in, Coco made a quick run back to the _Grizzly_ and grabbed a duffle bag. She ran back up the steps and met up with the others.

Everyone else started to walk in through the door and looked at the map too; Yang was the first of them to speak, "Why would they even have something like this below a school?"

Fox turned down the hallway and saw a mural. He walked up to it and pointed to it, "I think I know."

Everyone walked up to Coco and saw the mural she was pointing at. The mural showed a castle, a castle with Beacon's main building as the center structure.

"Beacon Academy use to be a castle?" Ruby asked.

"More like a fortress." Jaune said as he pointed at another mural that depicted a battle. Thousands of Grimm were shown attacking the castle, both by air and ground. On the front lines of the battle, there was a man standing at the front lines. He was drawn with light shining from his body, and he was holding a sword that looked remarkably similar to Jaune's Crocea Mors.

"Hey, look. Jaune, that guy has your sword." Velvet said as she pointed out the man on the mural.

Everyone looked to see what she was pointing at, Jaune was the most shocked. "That must be one of my ancestors. A former Star Knight of Vale."

"He looks like the guy on the statue in the main courtyard. And look, there's the woman with the axe fighting next to him." Fox said.

"Look there's writing here." Ren said as he pointed to the bottom of the mural, "It's in an old dialect of the common tongue, but I think I can understand it. It says, 'In memory to those who stood strong and to their last breath to defend Vale and its people'."

"Look, there's one here that has Smaug." Fox said as he pointed to a mural that showed Smaug attacking Vale. It also showed a woman standing there, Jaune noticed that the woman was holding his father's sword in her hand.

"Another one of my ancestors." Jaune said. "I think that's Joan."

"Well, what do we do now?" Coco asked Jaune.

Everyone started to look to him for his answer. Yang tried to think and then had a sudden curiosity, "Why would it be down here in the first place?"

Everyone looked to each other; they were as clueless as he was to the answer.

Jaune then remembered that there was something down here dark, maybe dark enough to bring the dragon down there. "Maybe it's after the Arkenstone."

Everyone looked to Jaune with confusion on their faces. "What's that?" Ruby asked.

"Back at Rivendell, John told me that there was a special jewel named the Arkenstone; he said it was what cause the Great War, for Vale anyway. He said it had another name, the 'Corruption-stone'." Jaune said.

"Why would a Grimm dragon what that?" Weiss asked.

"Well, if it's true that it caused the Great War, then maybe it has darkness and negative energy, negative enough to make a Grimm dragon stay here rather than go and spread more fear." Jaune theorized.

Jaune could see on everyone's faces that it was starting to get creepy. Ren cleared his throat to break the tension, "Where would we find it?"

Everyone looked to him, with confusion on their faces. Velvet spoke first, "You want to find the stone?"

"If we find the stone, then we'll find Smaug." Ren suggested.

Jaune suddenly had an idea from Ren's suggestion, "Ren's right. And if we find the stone, maybe we can use it to lure Smaug out of Beacon, and out of Vale."

Weiss ran the plan in her head and nodded in agreement, "It could work, but there is still the manner of finding it."

"Hey, guys, come look at this map." Penny shouted back at the entrance.

Everyone walked over to see what she had to say. Penny pointed at the map and pointed out the parts of the labyrinth that were large and wide. "There are a few places here that could be good places to hide that evil rock." She then pointed to four large openings on the map, "I've calculated that these four rooms have large enough corridors between them for a dragon to pass through without breaking anything."

Each of the four rooms had their own names on them that were written in common tongue, "Treasure Chamber, The Dungeon, The Armory and the Tomb of Kings".

"Ok, we'll split up and go to all four rooms." Jaune said. He pointed to the four large rooms as he said who was going. "Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Penny, you guys take the 'Treasure Chamber'. Team CFVY, you take the 'Dungeon'. Nora, Ren, Neptune and I will take the Tomb." Everyone nodded in agreement to Jaune's orders.

They walk out to an overlook to see the entire labyrinth; it looked like there was a city below the ground. "Reminds me of Mountain Glenn." Ruby said.

Ruby wasn't that far off in the comparison. They were staring at a large corridor with giant pillars that were at least a hundred feet tall. They were able to see the labyrinth at all because there were glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling. "Well, the name wasn't entirely misleading." Weiss said.

"I recognize the artwork on the pillars, they are ancient Valkyrie." Nora said with slight pride.

Everyone looked to her with shock on their faces, Nora smiled, "My father used to tell me all kinds of stories that tell of how the Valkyries were the best builders during the first age. After that, they became the great warriors that people know today."

"So, how strong are these things? We can't risk a fight if there is going to be a possible cave-in." Jaune said.

"Oh, don't worry. Valkyrie stone work is the best in the world, not even a swing from my hammer would break a pillar." Nora said as she tapped her hammer against the pillar right next to them, everyone jumped away when she did that, making her giggle. "It would take at force strong enough to shatter a building to break one of these."

Weiss rolled her eyes and then walked towards the middle of the group and projected the map of the labyrinth. "Here's the map. I'm sending you all copies."

Everyone pulled out their scrolls to see that they got Weiss' message. Jaune then spoke in a serious voice, "Ok, so, in the event that you don't find the stone in your assigned room, we will all meet up at the tomb. If any of you see Smaug, do not engage. Contact the rest of us, and we'll meet up with you. Also, if you do find the stone, and Smaug is there, don't risk it if it's too dangerous."

"That goes double for you, Vomit-boy." Yang said with a smirk. Everyone started to chuckle from her comment.

Jaune normally would have gotten into an argument with her, but given the circumstance, he let them have their laugh. "You all know your assignments. Good luck to us all."

Everyone nodded in agreement and then went down separate hallways.

* * *

(The Dungeon)

Team CFVY didn't waste any time reaching their destination. Coco was beyond shocked as to how large the Dungeon was.

There were large prison cells and cell blocks that stretched on for almost two miles. Hundreds of cages, some were even dangling on chains from the ceiling. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs.

"Well, whoever was king when this place was built had to have been a ruthless one." Velvet said.

"Had to have been to have such a large prison… and torture weapons along with it." Fox said as he pointed to a lot of torture devices all in one corner.

Everyone gulped down their hearts at their imagination of what might have happened here so long ago.

As they were walking through, Yatsuhashi saw what looked like large piping. "Look at that." Yatsu walked over and rested his hand on the pipe. It was cold; he knocked on it and heard that it was full.

"What do you think is in there?" Fox asked.

"My guess would be that this is to Beacon's plumbing system." Velvet said. She looked on to where the pipe leads; it went down the dungeon, inclined upward to the ceiling, then the piping scattered into four separate directions. While the opposite end lead back the way they came. Velvet pulled up the map Weiss sent, overlapped the map of Beacon's campus and saw where the piping went. "This pipe leads to the fountains in the front, the dorms and to the school's pool."

 **(AN: To be honest, I don't see why they wouldn't have a pool at the academy.)**

"It looks like that the main valve to the system is frozen." Yatsuhashi said.

"That's an understatement. The whole valve is encased in ice." Velvet said as she walked up to the giant ice wall that covered the whole water tank.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that the Arkenstone isn't here." Fox said.

"Let's keep moving." Coco suggested. No argument came from the rest of the group.

* * *

(Entering the Treasure Chamber)

"You guys think we'll find any real treasure down here?" Yang asked with a small grin.

"I highly doubt it." Weiss said in her no-it-all voice. "If there was treasure down there, I'm sure it'd be all long gone by no—"

Weiss was cut off when she heard the sound of coins being kicked by her foot. She looked down to see that they were gold coins. Everyone else looked down to see that there were gold coins in a sort of path that lead them forward.

The group ran down the hallway and stopped right at the doorway. Their eyes were so wide; it didn't look like they had any eyelids anymore. The entrance they were standing in had staris that lead down to the mountain of gold. The room had to have been three times the size of the Festival stadium.

"Oh. My. God." Ruby said with awe.

There were mountains of gold in front of them, thousands of gold coins and jewels as far as the light from the crystals could let them see.

"Wow, you think if we took all this gold, we'd be richer than the Schnee family?" Yang asked with a chuckle.

"We probably would." Weiss said.

"Scanning; from just what I can see on the top layer of gold, I'd say there is at least 500,000,000 credits worth of gold down here." Penny said.

"How can there be all this gold down here and nobody so much as touched it?" Yang asked.

"According to Vale's history, the gold in here belonged to the last king of Vale, the Mad King." Penny said as she pulled up a historical article in her databanks." It says that towards the end of his reign, when he obtained the Arkenstone, he became bad with greed and power. All this gold is the product of his greed, and every coin became cursed after he was dethroned."

"What king of curse?" Ruby asked, taking a step back from the gold.

"Doesn't really say, it just says that this gold is blood money and nobody, form any country, should take at the risk of becoming mad like the king." Penny said.

Ruby, Weiss and Penny heard the sound of coins hitting the ground behind them; they turn to see Yang holding gold in her hands.

"Oh, come on, it's not like anybody's going to be missing a few coins." Yang said with a pout. She then dropped the coins, "Fine."

"I'm sure we'll find some—" Ruby was about to say something to comfort her sister, but was cut off when the ground beneath her gave way.

"RUBY!" Penny, Weiss and Yang all shouted at once.

The stairs that were holding Ruby broke through the stairwell and made her land on the gold. When she hit the gold, it made a small avalanche down to the lower part of the large room. When the gold, and Ruby, came to a stop, Ruby let out a groan. "Ow…"

"RUB—!" Yang was about to shout out to Ruby but Weiss put her hand to Yang's mouth.

"For all we know, Smaug is in here. We can't risk letting it now we are here." Yang nodded in agreement, after rolling her eyes. Weiss let go of Yang and then pulled out her scroll, "I think I can find another way down to her. Come on."

* * *

(Inside the tomb of Kings)

Jaune and his group reached the inside of the tomb and found that it was empty. There were no caskets. Above them they saw a large water tank.

"A water tank." Jaune said.

"Looks like a storm tank, in case the school got flooded. They can reuse that water if needed." Neptune said. Everyone looked to him with shock on their faces. "Uh, they have a similar model at Haven. I helped work on it as a special project."

Nora climbed up one of the pillars and knocked on it, "It's empty."

"Must have evaporated over time." Jaune said. "Lets look around and see if we can find the stone."

Everyone agreed and began searching.

* * *

(Inside the Treasure Chamber)

Ruby slowly lifted herself up; her butt became swore from landing on the gold. She slowly stood up, holding her hands low to the ground, trying not to slip on the coins.

When she finally manages to get her balance, she looks around to see where she is; from what she can tell, she in the lower areas of the treasure chamber. She walks towards one of the pillars in the chamber, as she walks, coins fall down from her steps and others rush down like snow on a hill.

She grew nervous for the sound of the coins falling with every step she took. _"So much for stealth."_ She continued to walk towards the pillar; she then tripped on a golden boll that caught her foot, making her fall flat on her face. "Ow."

Her fall caused the pile of gold above her to fall; gold coins began to slide down, between her feet, like a river. She looked to where the gold had fallen and saw a large white rock. She focused her eyes on it and realized that it was a head.

Her eyes widened, she then sprinted to the pillar and hid behind it. Luckily for her, the louse ground form the coins didn't interfere with her speed. She hid behind the pillar, back to the wall, she was breathing heavily. She peaked over to see that the head did not move, _"It's still asleep."_ She let out a sigh of relief.

Her relief was snuffed out when she heard a loud gust of wind. She looked to her left to see what looked like a black and white snout, not too far from the head. The snout blew out a big gust of air that launched gold coins off its nostrils like bullets.

Ruby went back behind the pillar and started to walk in the opposite direction from the head, when she looked, she saw something black come up from the coins, and it was a foot. She looked down towards the lower parts to the chamber and saw that there was another black object curving over her path, it was a tail. _"It's curved around the pillar."_

The black body parts began to move on their own, Smaug was shifting in its sleep. She could only wait until it stopped moving before she could make a move. When it finally stopped, she started to walk towards the gap between the dragon's nose and tail.

She stopped dead as the head started to move towards the tail and close the gap all together. Ruby started to get even more nervous, _"There's no way to get out without touching it. And if I do, it'll know I'm here."_

She then heard the snout suck in a large amount of air, she looked up to the head and saw that they eyes were starting to open. The moment she saw the orange glow from the eyes, she sprinted to the pillar and stood still.

(In this next part, I am comparing to how Smaug has improved compared to the Grimm Dragon.)

The dragon's eyes open all the way, it looked around for a few seconds before it lifted its head up. The dragon appeared to be a lot bigger than the last time it was seen. It appeared to have a longer neck than it did before. Its teeth weren't as far back as they were before; instead they appeared more towards the front, covered by a layer of scales like lips. Its wings didn't look as raged as before, there were no holds, and the membrane looked clean and fresh. Its body appeared to have gotten longer, as well as its tail. The ribcage that was once visible was now covered over by white plates of bone, forming natural armor over its main torso and lower belly. There were sharp spike blades running down its back and down its tail. Those same armor plates were around the part of the dragon's biceps and forearms. It also had talons at the tip of the wings.

Ruby could only hold still as she heard the dragon lift itself up from the gold coins. She hopped that it would move off, giving her an opening to run.

" **Well… Thief… I can smell you…** " The dragon said.

 _"IT CAN TALK!"_ Ruby's eyes were as wide as olives at this revelation. She then started to hear the dragon breath louder, meaning that it was getting closer.

" **I can hear your heart beat. I can feel the air form your breath.** " Smaug spoke again as he lowered his head to the gold, sniffing out Ruby's sent.

Ruby moved around the pillar so that it wouldn't see her. Luckily there was a platform on the pillar that she could walk on without making a sound.

Smaug moved to where she was and sniffed where she was standing. " **Where are you?** "

Ruby jumped off the pillar, landing on the opposite side of its tail and ran as fast as she could down the slope of coins. Smaug saw her running and followed her.

Ruby could hear the mountains of coins moving as Smaug was chasing her; all she could do was continue to run until she knew she could hide. She reached a small closed off area, where she was able to hide in.

Smaug slowed to a stop as he got near the end to Ruby's trail. " **Oh, come now, little one. Don't be shy. I promise I won't kill you if you come out and show yourself. I'm rather not in the mood to kill anyone, at the moment. But that could change."** Smaug said with a calm voice, calm for a big beast that is.

 _"If come out now, maybe I can talk to him long enough for the others to get here."_ Ruby slowly walked out from her hiding spot and held her hands out. She could feel a slight chill run up her spine from the sound of the dragon's breath behind her. She quickly turned around to see him waiting for her.

" **Ahhh. There you are thief in the shadows.** " Smaug said with what could be guest as a grin in his teeth.

"You… you can talk?" Ruby blurted out.

" **Does that surprise you?** " Smaug asked his grin still on his face.

"Yes. I've n-never met a Grimm that could talk before. Y-You are clearly not like any other Grimm I have encountered, Smaug." Ruby said with some slight stuttering. She couldn't help but stutter at a beast that could easily kill her in a heartbeat.

" **'Smaug'? Is that what they chose to call me now?** " Smaug said as he lifted is head up, looking at the ceiling as he was thinking over his name. " **Yes-s…** " He hissed, **"That does fit.** " He then lowered his head to Ruby, " **Tell me, thief, why are you here?** "

 _"He doesn't recognize me. Then again, he may not have gotten a good look at me when I froze him."_ "I am no thief. I know better than to steal from you. I just wanted to see _you_." Ruby said with a little more confidence in her voice. _"If he's smart enough to talk, then maybe he has an ego."_ "I only wanted to look at the great Grimm Dragon Smaug, I wanted to see if you truly were as great as the stories people say about you. To be honest, I thought they were exaggerated." Ruby nervously chuckled.

Smaug's eyes widened, he then ran to the other side of Ruby. Once he was far enough for her to see his whole body with one look, he lifted his wings up to show her how big he could make them. " **Well… Do you believe them now?** "

Ruby had to clear her throat to wake herself up from her fear. "Clearly their descriptions don't even come close to the real thing."

" **Do you think flattery will keep you alive?** " Smaug asked with a scowl.

"No… (Clear throat) No, of course not." Ruby said with slight fear in her throat.

" **No, indeed. Tell me, little thief, what else is said about me?** " Smaug asked.

"Well, it is said that you were the one who laid waste to the city of Vale a few months ago. I went there myself and was surprised at how much damaged one Grimm could do. I wasn't even aware a Grimm could breathe fire." Ruby said with full honesty.

" **Hmmm…** " Smaug liked the sound of the fear he was causing, now he was getting curious, " **Tell me little thief, where do you come from?** " Smaug said as he moved towards her, lowering his left eye to be right at her face.

"I, uh… I'm from the island of Patch." Ruby said, which wasn't a lie.

" **Patch… Yes, I remember that little land. I remember the people being very kind. Tell me little one, do you have any titles?** " Smaug said with a smile. He backed up a few feet and laid his body down in front of Ruby.

Ruby's eye spotted something in her peripheral vision; she looked to her right and saw what looked like a large clear crystal, and inside it, there was a white glowing jewel. _"That must be the Arkenstone."_ "I was once known as 'Rose Runner'." She remembered that being what her father used called her, back when she discovered her semblance.

" **Lovely title. What else do you claim to be?** " Smaug asked as his head moved closer to Ruby; his teeth were showing.

"I am a leader of my own team of… fighters." Ruby said nervously. _"If I said hunters he may get angry."_

" **Really? A girl leading a team of fighters? I never would have believed women have such potential.** " Smaug said with an arrogant grin. " **A lot has changed in the past century.** "

"Century?" Ruby was shocked by how old he claimed to be, she remembered when Dr. Oobleck told her the Goliaths most likely lived for hundreds of years, but for something like Smaug to be only a century old and is smart enough to talk made her scared.

" **Yes. I had been imprisoned in a mountain south of here for over 80 years. And the one who put me there was once a friend. I never should have trusted that Arc. She was always stubborn."** Smaug spoke with a growl as he cursed himself.

"Arc?" Ruby asked.

Smaug turned to her with interest, " **You know that name, don't you?** "

"Well, I've heard of them." Ruby said with fear in her voice.

Smaug lowered his snout to Ruby and sniffed, he then backed up and growled, " **I can smell the cent of an Arc on you. They sent you here, didn't they? To do their dirty work."**

"I don't know what you are talking about! I would never—!" Ruby was about to flatter him again but was cut off when Smaug slammed left wing right next to her, sending coins at her face.

" **Did you really think I didn't see this day coming?! That another Arc would come and finish the job?!** " Smaug shouted. He then swung his tail at one of the pillars and shattered it like it was made of glass.

Ruby looked to see that the crystal holding the Arkenstone slid down the pile of coins, Ruby ran after it, trying not to trip on anything as a rush of gold coins were running down like a river. Right away she knew: Smaug was chasing her.

* * *

(Inside the Tomb)

Jaune and his group were about to exit the tomb but were stopped by a loud rumbling.

"What was that? An earthquake?" Neptune asked with fear in his voice.

"That… was a dragon." Jaune said with anger in his voice.

From a distance, they heard someone coming. They all turned to see that it was Penny; she was running so fast she had to use her blades as anchors to slow down.

"Jaune, we have a problem." Penny said with a worried look on her face.

* * *

(Back in the Treasure Chamber)

"The kingdom of Vale is mine!" Smaug shouted.

Ruby ran into another hiding spot like the one before, she could see the Arkenstone stop just short of a long drop.

" **I ruled this kingdom before, I can rule it again!** " Smaug said. " **This time, there will not be any usurper Arc to stop me! And her decedents will pay for her crimes!** "

Ruby ran to the crystal, only to be stopped by a large tail landing right between the two. The shock form the tail hitting the pile made the crystal slide further down the pile. Ruby ran after it again.

The crystal finally reached the bottom of the pile and slowed to a stop. Ruby ran under a small bridge that was made of solid stone. It was tall enough for her to stand and hide in. Smaug reached the bridge and rested his claws on it.

* * *

(Just outside the treasure chamber)

"We need to help her!" Yang said with fear and anger in her voice.

"No, not yet." Jaune said.

Everyone turned to him. After hearing the noise throughout the labyrinth, everyone met up at the chamber entrance.

Yang walked up to Jaune and grabbed him by the collar; her eyes were glowing red now. "She is in there with a monster, ALONE!"

Jaune grabbed Yang's arms and pulled them off his collar, without having to use his semblance. "The only reason why Smaug hasn't tried to incinerate her yet is because she's alone. If we go in there guns blazing, he'll burn her first."

"Not to mention the fact that Smaug is a Grimm that can talk." Weiss said. "Ruby might be able to talk her way out of it."

"We need to rethink our plan here. Smaug is too smart for us to take on conventionally." Ren said.

Jaune was practically at war with his own mind trying to think of a plan; he had his eyes closed, hands to his head and he was pacing back and forth. _"He's too big and too smart to kill him down here. We're in his domain… Damn it what I wouldn't give for-"_ Jaune's thought was stopped when he felt something cold drop down his back.

He looked up to see that there were ice cycles dangling from the ceiling. _"The water for Beacon… comes from the lake!"_ Jaune quickly turned to the group, "I think I know a way to stop him… Velvet, do you think you can get that piping system you guys found working again?"

Everyone looked to Velvet for her answer; she felt confused by the question but answered anyway. "Yes, I-I think so… Why?"

"We don't have time for me to explain; first we need to get Ruby out of there, now!" Jaune said as he started running towards the Treasure chamber. Everyone else didn't hesitate to run after him.

* * *

(Treasure chamber)

" **Wait!** " Smaug stopped moving as he made a realization, " **I know why you are really here. The only way the Arc would have a chance to kill me would be to lure me out of this place. And that would mean finding the Arkenstone.** "

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not here for some rock." Ruby said as she was hiding behind a support beam under the bridge, trying to stay out of Smaug's sight.

" **YOU'RE LYING!** " Smaug slammed his claws on the bridge with a roar. " **You can't have the Arkenstone! It is MINE! AND MINE ALONE!"** Smaug breathed fire as he shouted. " **It was a gift from my beloved, and I refuse to let anyone take away it from me!** "

 _"His 'beloved'?"_ Ruby was confused to what he was talking about.

" **You think my return and the fall of Vale is a coincidence, little thief? My beloved is coming, and she will have her revenge.** " Smaug said with an arrogant smile.

* * *

(Dol Guldur)

Ozpin and Qrow were both being held in their own individual cages, suspended above a pit of darkness. Qrow was still knocked out form being kicked in the face by the White Fang Lieutenant. Ozpin was awake, he could hear the creatures of Grimm below, and then he heard something else entirely.

Down in the lower levels of Dol Guldur, the Necromancer Hades, was standing over a large area full of dried out skeletons. Hundreds of grotesque skeletons that have humanoid characteristics but they were neither Human nor Faunus skeletons.

The skeletons were spread out, in rows of 10 by 10. Beowulves, Creeps, and Boarbatusk stood over a skeleton. Hades then spread the darkness form his cloak and covered the whole floor with it, including the skeletons.

The each Grimm were enveloped by the darkness and sank down, turning into black mass. The skeletons started to twitch and move. Then the black mas from the Grimms that were enveloped wrapped around the skeletons, forming flesh and blood around the skeletons.

"Rise reborn, my army of Orcs!" Hades said with a devilish grin.

Once the mass formed new bodies around the skeleton, each body started to stand up. Each 'Orc' had inherited the characteristics of the Grimm that was used to create it.

Beowulf-Orcs had fangs as long as knives. Their fingers were solid claws. Their bodies had armor plates over their shoulders with blades running down the arms. It's legs had the same legs of a wolf.

Creep-Orcs had heads that were similar to that of their original form. They had long tails with spikes at the end of them and claws similar to the Beowulves, but shorter.

Boarbatusk-Orcs faces had four eyes, tusks coming out of their moths with a pig nose. Their hands had bone-brass knuckles. There were sharp spikes running down their backs.

The rest of the Grimm were the larger types, Ursa, Deathstalkers, and King Taijitu, remained as they were.

"Now, go forth and destroy as you were made to do!" Hades shouted as he waved his hands out.

The armies of Grimm and Grimm-Orcs roared and howled as they always do. Then the Grimm-Orcs marched by the hundreds as an army-train, an army that spanned for miles.

"Oh no." Ozpin said with a raspy voice.

"You think this is bad?" Ozpin looked to the ledge next to his cage to see the Summer Banshee standing there. "This is just the tip of the iceberg, Ozpin. When the war starts, the Grimm will be the least of the world's worries."

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked, he didn't expect her to answer, but he felt that he should at least try.

"You'll find out soon enough." The Banshee said with a devious grin, showing her razor sharp teeth. She then let out a shriek that knocked Ozpin unconscious.

* * *

(Treasure Chamber under Beacon)

" **You are a means to an end to someone else's game. A game that you don't even know you're a part of.** " Smaug said with a devilish grin.

"What are you talking about? Whose game?" Ruby was curious herself, that and she needed to say something to keep him from trying to kill her for a little while longer.

"What was it she called him? Ozpin. Ozpin has been manipulating you and your little friends from the very beginning." Smaug said.

Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing, "No, no you're lying!"

" **Deny it if you must if it eases your pain, but it is true. The very existence of that _pathetic_ 'school' above _my_ fortress was to stand against my beloved. And now it is MINE AGAIN!** " Smaug said as he slashed his claws against the stone bridge Ruby was hiding under, attempting to make her run to of her cover. " **You will not take my kingdom away from me! I WILL NOT LET ANYONE TAKE IT FROM ME AGAIN!** "

Ruby started to feel that her hiding spot was no longer safe, she ran as fast as she could out of the cover and ran towards the Arkenstone.

Smaug saw her leave her spot and started crawling after her. " **I am a 'one beast army'! My armor is steel! My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! My wings are a HURICANE!** " Smaug bragged as he chased Ruby through the pile.

Ruby stopped behind a pillar, she could hear Smaug stop above her. From where she stood, she could see that there was a dent in the natural armor plating on Smaug's chest, near where his heart would be. "Wash was right, they did make a dent in his armor." Ruby thought out loud.

" **What was that?** " Smaug asked with anger in his voice.

"I-I was just saying that your reputation precedes you, O Smaug the Tyrannical…" Ruby said in the hopes to ease his anger. "Truly there is no one like you in our world." Ruby then glanced towards the Arkenstone for a second then back to Smaug.

Smaug looked to where she glanced; his eyes widened with both joy and sadness. He crawled to the large crystal and clawed at it. Once he opened the crystal, he picked up the Arkenstone and held it with care like a child. " **You don't know how long I've been looking for this… You cannot imagine the pain of being parted with the one you love.** " Smaug said with a sad voice, Ruby almost felt sympathetic towards him.

"I do know how it feels, my mother was taken form me when I was little." Ruby said with a sympathetic voice.

" **When she died, this was the only thing I had left of her…"** Black tears fell form Smaug's eyes as he clenched the stone in his hand, he then turned towards Ruby with rage in his eyes, " **And you tried to take it form me!** "

"NO! No, I would never do such an evil crime. I would never take away something so precious to you away, I'm not that kind of person." Ruby said as she backed away.

" **I don't believe you! I have had enough of your lies! BEGONE THEIF!** " Smaug shouted as he let out a large fireball from his mouth.

Ruby had seconds to react, she sprinted to the pillar and hid behind it as the fireball blasted against it. Once the fire blast stopped, she ran away from Smaug at her top speed.

" **KEEP RUNNING, LITTLE THEIF! I WILL FIND YOU!** " Smaug shouted in the distance.

* * *

(Just outside the Treasure Chamber)

Ruby was running as fast as she could, she then slammed into someone who was about to walk into the Treasure Chamber. Her momentum was so strong they both went flying down the direction she was going for about three feet. Once they both came to a stop, they both groaned to the pain.

"Ow… Jaune?" Ruby groaned as she sat up to see her leader next to her.

"Hey Ruby…" Jaune groaned as he lifted his head to look at her, "I was about to come get you."

Ruby stood up first and helped Jaune stand up. Jaune shook his head and then remembered what he came for; he grabbed her shoulders and asked, "Ruby! Where's Smaug? Did you find the Arkenstone?"

"Well… I did find the stone, but Smaug has it." Ruby said with a guilty voice.

"Where is he?" Jaune asked.

Jaune's question was answered by the sound of large stomps in the distance. Jaune looked out to the treasure chamber, at first he was amazed to see so much gold in one spot, but is amazement went away when he saw a black dragon with orange eyes climb over the pile and give him a stare down.

"Oh, there he is." Jaune said with a nervous voice.

Jaune then noticed that there was a small white light coming from Smaug's forehead. _"That must be the Arkenstone, and now he has it."_ The rest of the company ran up to Ruby and Jaune from the entrance and stood strong against their enemy.

Smaug looked at what he would call a 'pathetic excuse for warriors' and chuckled with a small growl. He then looked to the man Ruby was standing next to, when Smaug got a better look at Jaune his eyes widened. **_"Blonde hair, blue eyes…_** _"_ " **So, you are the decedent of Joan Arc?** " Smaug asked with a devious grin.

"My name is Jaune Arc, and we are here to slay you!" Jaune shouted. The rest of the company that was standing with him shouted a war cry in agreement with him.

" **HAHAHA! YOU WILL BURN!** " Smaug shouted back as he charged at them with a mouth full of fire.

Everyone ran in the opposite direction and ran into a corridor that was next to the entrance. Jaune was the last to enter, holding his shield up to block the fire from his friends. Once the flame stopped, Jaune turned and ran as fast as he could. Another blast of flame blew into the corridor, Jaune barley had enough time to turn and block it. His armor's back plate had caught fire and was melting.

* * *

The rest of the company was in the corridor that he had entered, Weiss quickly froze the armor plate and Yatsuhashi pulled it off before it could hurt Jaune any more than it already did. Ren helped Jaune to his feet; he looked to everyone and saw that they were all scared.

Jaune himself was scared too. He had a plan, but it would need a lot of preparation before it could work, and that would mean he needs everyone else.

"Guys I know you're all scared. I am too. But we need to put that fear aside for the time being and kill this monster." Jaune said with a serious look on his face.

Everyone else nodded at Jaune in agreement. "We need to get to the Dungeons."

"That's on the opposite side of the labyrinth." Weiss said with a worried voice.

"He'll spot us." Penny said.

"Not if we split up. Get into the groups you were in before and make your way to the Dungeons however you can." Jaune said as he started running, "Come on!"

Everyone else looked at each other with confusion then they split off in their groups.

Just as they were splitting off, Smaug smashed through the wall that was between the rest of the Labyrinth and the Chamber. " **Did you honestly think you could hide form me?** " Smaug snarled as he started chasing after Ruby's group.

Just as he was getting closer to them, an explosion went off right next to his face. Pink smoke covered his face. Smaug waved the smoke away and looked to where it came from; there he saw Jaune and his group. "Over here you big snake!" Nora shouted as she fired three more grenades.

Smaug covered his face with his left wing as the explosions went off. With Smaug distracted, Ruby's group continued to run down their walkway towards the dungeons.

Smaug started crawling after Jaune's group with fire coming out of his mouth. Just as he was about to let out a fire ball, a hail of bullets started hitting him from behind. Smaug turned around to see Coco and her group.

Coco was firing her mini-gun; she was starting to get angry that her weapon didn't seem to make Smaug so much as flinch. Even when she was hitting him in the face, it didn't slow him down. "You have got to be kidding me; these are my armor-piercing rounds!"

Smaug still charged at them at full speed. Coco stopped firing once she knew that he was close enough. Her and her group ran down a corridor, plenty of space for them, too small for Smaug.

Yatsuhashi was the last through, and right as he made it in, Smaug chomped into the stone doorway. He even bit off a piece of it as he pulled back. He spat out the rock and took a deep breath. Smaug roared and blew a large fireball down the corridor.

As Team CFVY ran, they could feel the heat form the fireball coming up behind them. Coco was ahead of the group, when they exited the corridor she led the team down the same way to the Dungeon that they went before.

Smaug could hear them getting, he then turned around and crawled in the direction Jaune's group went.

* * *

Jaune and his group were making their way to the Dungeon, Ren was holding the map, he looked to Jaune as he noticed that he passed where they were supposed to turn.

"Jaune, this way." Ren said as he stopped at the doorway. Neptune and Nora stopped next to him.

Jaune turned around and was about to run back to them, but stopped when he saw what was behind them.

Everyone turned to see that Smaug had caught up with them.

"Follow Ren. Get to the Dungeon." Jaune said.

Nora turned back towards Jaune with fear in her eyes, Jaune gave her a serious look, "That was an order! GO!"

Nora, Ren and Neptune ran into the corridor as they were ordered, leaving Jaune to stare down his enemy.

"Little Arc… You look so much like Joan, it's almost annoying." Smaug said with heat bleeding though his teeth.

Jaune quickly turned around and continued to run down the large corridor. He ran up until he reached a large hole, he looked around the edge and saw that there were cranes and mining carts everywhere. "Mining shaft."

Smaug crawled after Jaune and let out a large blast of fire. Jaune didn't even think, he jumped down the hole, he grabbed onto one of the mining crane's ropes. When he was able to get a good grip, the rope started to lower him down fast.

He looked above to see the fireball flare over the and around the hole. When the fire dissipated it turned to smoke, then he saw Smaug come through the smoke and climb down the hole after Jaune.

Ruby and her group ran up to the top of the hole and saw both Jaune and the dragon going down. "JAUNE!" Ruby shouted.

Yang looked at the mining crane that Jaune's rope was holding onto and walked up to it. "HOLD ON, JAUNE!" Yang shouted as she punched the lock holding the counterweight off, making it pull up Jaune fast.

Jaune gripped onto the rope for dear life. He rushed past Smaug, Smaug tried to chomp down on him as he was going up. Smaug missed twice, but then his teeth got a hold the rope.

Jaune's rope stopped, he looked down to see that Smaug had him. Smaug then started to pull down on the rope, breaking the crane on top. The crane started to give weigh and was pulled off it's platform. Weiss shot some ice at the crane, making it into a large spiked ice ball.

When the crane broke, Jaune's rope came lose and he landed on Smaug's snout. Smaug looked directly at Jaune and gave a grin. He opened his mouth to let out a fireball. Jaune quickly jumped off Smaug's snout and grabbed the nearest rope he could catch.

Just before Smaug could react, the large spiked ice ball landed in his mouth, stabbing through his lips and tongue, even though the jaw. Smaug growled in pain, he even started flailing around in the hole due to the pain.

Penny cut the release lever to the crane that was holding Jaune. She then cut the lock on the counter weight to help him come back up. Jaune held onto the rope again.

On his way up, Jaune saw that the ice ball that landed in Smaug's mouth got crushed when he chomped on it. What Jaune saw next made him worried, the puncture wounds that were made in Smaug's mouth were starting to seal themselves up, _"He's regenerating?"_

Once the wounds were sealed, Smaug let out a large roar along with a large pillar of fire as he shouted, " **DAMN YOU ALL!** "

Jaune was going up with so much momentum, when he reached the crane; he was launched a few feet away from the mining shaft. Yang jumped up and caught him and broke his fall. Both Jaune and Yang groaned to the pain, but they both got up fast when they could hear Smaug climbing up the shaft.

"This way!" Ruby said as she pointed at large iron bars behind her. The bars had gaps large enough for them to go through.

* * *

(Inside the Dungeon)

When Jaune and Ruby's group arrived, Ren, Nora, Neptune and Team CFVY were waiting.

As they were walking in, they could hear Smaug getting closer. Velvet was standing next to the pipe control system, which was completely encased in solid ice.

"Jaune, I don't know what your plan is, but there's no way we can even get it started. The piping system control is frozen." Velvet said as she knocked on the ice wall.

Yang punched the ice with a few shots and it only cracked. "There's no way we could melt it in time to use it. Not even if I was in my 'fire-rage-mode'." Yang said.

"Maybe someone else can." Jaune said, making everyone else look confused. Jaune looked and saw Smaug through one of the dungeon's cage wall. Smaug had reached the top of the shaft and started looking for them.

"SMAUG!" Jaune shouted through the bars. Everyone got real nervous when Smaug turned to them as he shouted. "You may be smart enough to talk, but clearly you're stupid enough to fall for the simplest of tricks!"

Smaug looked directly at Jaune and gave him a death glare, and a low growl.

"I guess all those years being down here and in that mountain had made you weak… _soft_ … _fat_ … and _slow_." Juane really emphasized those last few words, trying to taunt Smaug. And it worked.

Smaug's pupils tightened in his anger, he started to look more like a wild animal than before. The company could see the heat bleeding through his teeth as he curled up his lips.

Jaune turns to the group with a half-smile, "You might want to get down."

Everyone knew what he meant and ran to the bars just as he did, the bars were wide enough for them to hide behind.

Smaug let out the largest fireball he's made and shot it through the bars. The bars held up against the flames, protecting the company from Smaug's wrath. The flames reached past the bars and melted the ice covering the pipe control system in an instant.

Once the ice was cleared from the pipe system control, lights started to flicker on it. Jaune and the others ran to the control, it was working, for the most part. "Neptune, see if you can put more power into this thing. Use your trident if you have to."

"You got it." Neptune said as he followed the cable that connected the power source to the control.

"Velvet, when he gets it on, can you redirect the flow of water to the 'storm tank'?" Jaune asked.

"I think so, as soon as we get full power, it will only take a few minutes." Velvet said as she started pressing buttons.

Jaune turned to Weiss, "Weiss, I need you at the top of the tank, when I give the signal, ice him."

"Right." Weiss said as she zoomed away.

"Yang, Nora, Yatsu, I want you three to go as high as you can, when I give the signal, I want you to come down on Smaug with everything you got." Jaune said as he pointed to one of the higher cages above.

Smaug was slamming his body against the iron bars with all his might, it was starting to bend and creak from his thrashing.

Jaune looked to the rest of the group, "The rest of us are going to hold Smaug off long enough for Velvet to finish. Got it?"

"We're behind you." Ren said as he pulled out his pistols; Ruby readied her scythe, Coco opened her bag to her mini-gun, Fox held his arm blades at the ready; Penny opened her pack and pulled six blades out.

Smaug finally broke through the giant bars and made it inside the Dungeon. Smaug looked around, " **Ah, the Dungeon… I remember this place. Some say you can still hear the agony of the souls who died here.** " Smaug crawled through the dungeon and turned his head to look at Jaune who was standing alone in front of him.

Jaune had his sword and shield out and standing in his battle stance. Smaug could only laugh, " **Looks like you will be the next one to scream down here!** "

Smaug took a deep breath, getting ready to let out a fireball and incinerate Jaune. Jaune looked up to Weiss and shouted, "ICE HIM!"

Weiss used her glyph to jump higher and then flew straight down and froze Smaug's whole head. The moment the ice formed around Smaug's head, flames shot between his teeth. Smaug growled and whimpered in pain. Weiss jumped off Smaug's head before he had an opportunity to swat her off.

* * *

Neptune found the generator to the control and saw that it was dying. He pulled out his rifle and turned it into its 'trident' mode and stabbed it into the conductors. Power was then flowing from the generator right to the control system.

Velvet saw that the screens were getting brighter and the whole system was coming back online. She then started switching pump controls to redirect the flow of the water that flowed up to Beacon from the lake and sent into the storm tank.

* * *

Smaug backed off, clawing with his talons, trying to get the ice off his face. He ended up standing below Yang, Nora and Yatsuhashi.

"NOW!" Jaune shouted again.

Nora turned her weapon into her hammer, Yang loaded up her 'heavy-shot' labeled bullets, Yatsu held his sword with both hands. All three jumped down at once.

Nora slammed her hammer with all her might on the back of Smaug's neck. Yang punched and fired a shot on Smaug's back, right where his arms connected. Yatsuhashi slammed his blade down on Smaug's lower back, barley breaking its armor, but it looked like it did some internal damage.

Smaug's body was forced down to the ground by all three attacks. When his head hit the ground, it shattered the ice covering it.

Nora, Yang and Yatsu jumped off Smaug's body and onto one of the higher levels. From up there; they could see that they did do a lot of damage. It looked like there was a kink in Smaug's neck from where Nora came down, and there were a few points along the spine that were out of alignment where Yang and Yatsu came down. All three of them started to smile.

"Did we just kill him?" Yang asked.

Yatsuhashi was about to say 'yes', but his smile vanished when he saw something terrible.

Smaug's spinal cord was realigning itself. They could hear the bones in his body shifting back into place. It made them cringe at the sound.

"That's not fair!" Nora said with a pout.

"Come on!" Yang said as she led them away.

Smaug opened his eyes and slowly got back up, " **YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! I AM INDISTRUCTIBLE!** " Smaug gloated with a roar. He then looked down to see Penny standing before him, " **And who are you supposed to be?** "

"I'm the one who was made to fight monsters like you!" Penny said with a smile. She shot her six blades at Smaug's chest, each one stabbing between armor plates. Smaug cringed at the pain, then he started to pull away.

Penny held her grip on Smaug; she started taking a few steps back. It became a tug of war, and Penny was winning. Smaug was actually having a hard time not going her way. Smaug took a deep breath and was about to let out a fireball, then he heard a voice in the distance.

"Ice flower!"

Then he felt something hit him on his right side, whatever it was, it formed ice on the right side of his neck and wing, one shot hit his jaw, locking it into place.

Fox and Ren ran past Penny and ran towards Smaug's legs. Fox and Ren both started slashing their blades at Smaug's feet and ankles. Smaug howled at the pain, he used his free wing to cut off the strings that Penny was using to hold onto him, which made Penny fall on her back. Smaug then freed his jaw, let out a flame down to the ground then towards Ruby and Weiss.

Fox and Ren almost didn't get out of the way of the flames in time. If it wasn't for Ruby's speed, she and Weiss would have been incinerated.

* * *

Once he was sure it was finished, Neptune pulled out his trident and ran to go join the others.

Velvet looked at the storm tank's water level and saw that it was now holding 100,000 gallons of water and was still rising. "Jaune, I think it's full enough!"

Jaune was about to join in the fight when he heard Velvet shout to him. He ran up to her and looked over the controls. He heard Smaug roar and saw flames down the prison block. Jaune then turned to Velvet, "Find whoever you can and get to the Tombs."

Velvet nodded. Neptune had just arrived, when he was about to say something, they all heard Smaug make a loud roar of both pain and anger. They all looked to see Smaug crawling after Penny, Ren and Fox as they were running towards them.

"EVERYONE SCATTER! MEET UP AT THE TOMBS!" Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone in the room followed Jaune's orders and all went their separate ways. Smaug was still chasing after Penny through the cell block, but was then stopped when he felt something hit his face. It was a sniper rifle shot. Smaug looked to see that the marksman was Ruby. "Little thief." Smaug growled.

Ruby holstered her rifle and ran down a large corridor.

* * *

(Inside the tombs)

Jaune arrived inside the tombs, Coco, Nora, Neptune and Weiss were the first ones there.

Jaune looked up to the storm tank above, _"Even if the water comes down on him, he won't stay in for long."_ Jaune then looked to the four large pillars that were around the tank. "We need to break those pillars, land them on top of him when he gets here."

Nora looked at Jaune with confusion on her face, "Uh, Juane… these pillars are stone with iron support in the center, they've held for hundreds of years, and they're made to withstand a 10.0 earthquake. We don't have the firepower to break all three at once."

Coco pulled her duffle bag over her shoulder and pulled out what was inside, "Will this do the damage?"

Nora, Jaune and Weiss all looked to see that Coco had a C4 pack in her hand. "I have 40 packs of them." Coco said with a smile.

"Where the hell did you get all that?" both Neptune and Weiss asked at the same time.

"Sarge gave it to me, said he wanted to use it on some 'Private Grif', but then he felt we needed it more." Coco said with a half-smile.

Jaune looked to Nora with a questioning look, Nora nodded her head with a smile, "Yeah, these should do it."

Coco pulled out more packs and handed them to the others, except Jaune. He wanted had a different job to do.

"Now, we only need six packs to each pillar, we don't want to cause the whole room cave in." Nora said as she collected her six from Coco.

Jaune pulled out his scroll and called Ruby, "Ruby, lead Smaug to the Tomb of Kings. We'll do the rest."

 _"Understood!"_ Ruby said on the scroll. She sounded like she was running while talking.

* * *

(Two minutes ago)

Ruby was running as fast as she could possibly go, and Smaug was still on her tale. She ran down several corridors, trying to outrun the beast, but he kept on her.

Ruby felt her scroll vibrate, she pulled it out and answered, "Hello?"

 _"Ruby, lead Smaug to the Tomb of Kings. We'll do the rest."_ Jaune said in the scroll.

"Understood!" Ruby shouted as she closed her scroll and sprinted. She ran all the way to the main entrance to the Tomb and ran through the doorway. Smaug kept his speed up and plowed through the large wall that was between the labyrinth and the tomb.

Once inside, Ruby heard Smaug smash through the wall and hid behind one of the pillars in the tomb.

Smaug stopped running when he could not see lost sight of Ruby. He started to turn around in circles, growling and snarling like an animal. " **You think you can trick me, little thief?!** "

Ruby stayed behind the pillar, he didn't know where she was, so she didn't need to move.

" **You came from that little town in the lake, didn't you? What did they call it? Lake Town?** " Smaug still looked around for Ruby as he was thinking out loud, " **This is some sort of scheme isn't it? Those sniveling little cowards can't even do the job themselves; they would sink so low as to make other people fight their battles for them.** "

Ruby then realized that Smaug thinks this was all Lake Town's fault. "Oh, no." She whispered.

" **Maybe I should pay them a visit… Let them know who to fear.** " Smaug said with a devious grin. Smaug started to walk towards the hole he made in the wall.

Ruby couldn't stop herself; she ran out from her cover and yelled out, "No! You can't go to Lake Town! They had nothing to do with this!"

Smaug stopped ant turned towards Ruby, " **Ohhh… You care for them, uh? Good. Then you can be the first to watch them all _BURN_!** " Smaug turned away again and was about to leave until he heard a shout form behind.

"SMAUG! YOU COWARD!" Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs.

Smaug froze like a statue when he heard Jaune call him 'coward'. He slowly turned towards Jaune, who was standing on top of a statue of one of the old Kings of Vale.

" ** _You…_** " Smaug growled with heat pouring out of his teeth.

"I am here to take what you stole form Vale." Jaune said.

Smaug slowly crawled towards Jaune, still growling, " **You will take nothing from me… This is my land, I have reclaimed it, and I do not intent to lose it again.** " Smaug's breath started to get hotter and hotter, his neck started to glow. " **For too long I have been inside that mountain and my kingdom lay to waste. For too long I watched as my kingdom became nothing more than a playground for fools. This is my kingdom, my land, my castle… I AM THE TRUE KING OF VALE!** "

Ruby was really starting to get confused by what Smaug was saying. He sounds like he was a part of Vale a long time ago. Maybe as a citizen, or more?

"This isn't your kingdom. This land belongs to the people of Vale. This castle became the Beacon of Hope for this kingdom for over a hundred years!" Jaune could feel the heat coming off of Smaug as he got closer with every word. "This land is ours! And I will have my revenge!"

Jaune crossed his arms cross his chest, his chest began to glow. It started to look like sun-streaks were shining between his arms. Jaune opened his arms out wide, letting out a bright light that equaled the sun's rays.

Smaug's eyes dilated, he could only stare at the beauty of Jaune's golden light.

Coco figured that was the signal, so she detonated the pillars. All four pillars went off at once; cracks went up the pillars fast. The pillars then broke apart, the fragments landed on Smaug, forcing him down. At the same time, the shock form the pillars collapsing made the supports on the tank above break off the ceiling. The tank was then falling straight down.

The tank landed on Smaug, breaking open like an egg falling to the ground. The water rushed out of the cracks, all the water splashed up high enough to soak everyone else around it. When the water covered over his body, it started to simmer like when you temper a hot blade.

Smaug started shouting in pain, he could not climb out of water due to the rocks holding him down. He could feel the water eating away at his body.

The rest of the company arrived; they walked up to the others who were standing on one of the higher levels, looking over Smaug as he was screaming in pain.

"What happened? Why is he screaming?" Penny asked.

"The water here is the same as the water in the lake! Jaune you're a generous!" Weiss said with complete shock on her face.

Smaug continued to thrash around in the water, trying to climb out of the rocks. The water level in the center of the room continued to rise because the pipe that filled up the tank in the first place was still pouring water out.

The water level raised high enough to cover over Smaug entirely; they could see the ripples in the water from him moving. They couldn't see into the water however because it was getting corroded with black goop, from Smaug's body.

The ripples in the water then stop, there was only silence.

Smaug then burst out of the black water, still simmering and shouting in pain. " **AHH! IT BURNS!** " He climbed out of the water and held himself over the water by grabbing onto the Tomb walls. His tale was almost gone, his right wing was down to the main part of his arm, his left leg was nothing but a stump form the knee down, and half the armor over his face was melted off. But you could tell that his body was already regenerating everything he lost.

Everyone could only look in terror of the sight. Every time they think they killed him, he gets back up even angrier.

Once he knew he was secure on the wall, he looked Jaune in the eye. " **YOU THINK YOU KNOW REVENGE?!** " Smaug then climbs to the ceiling of the cave and starts carving his way through the bedrock. " **I'LL SHOW YOU REAL REVENGE!** "

* * *

(Beacon, Courtyard of the CCT Tower)

Smaug clawed his way all the way through 20 stories of rock that was between the Labyrinth and the surface. He climbed out to see all the Grimm inside Beacon, the same Grimm that he put there to protect him, which they failed.

Smaug opened his wings out wide, and then what came next was strange. All the Grimm in the area were starting to be pulled towards him, like he had his own gravity. Except, everything else around them didn't even move, only the Grimm.

From the little Beowulves, to the large Deathstalkers, every Grimm in the school flew towards Smaug, landed against his body, and then were enveloped by him. It was like putting all the clay back together after you rip it to pieces.

Smaug grew a new wing, grew back his tale, got a new leg, and fixed most of his face. There wasn't enough Grimm to fully restore him, and his regeneration was moving too slow.

He was mostly healed, enough for him to fly again. Smaug ran around Beacon's main building and smashed through the main gate. Like a plane, he needed a running start to fly. He opened his wings and flapped as hard as he could to go as high as the Tower.

Down at the hole, Jaune and the company climbed out of the hole and saw that they were in the center of Beacon's campus. Jaune and Ruby ran to the front gate and saw that the doors were knocked off their hinges, and in the distance they could see the beast fly away.

" **I am fire.** " Smaug said with a devious grin. He was flying towards Lake Town, he could see it in the distance, he then made a smile wide enough while showing is teeth. " **I am… Death!** "

Back at the broken front gate of Beacon, Ruby could only watch in horror as Smaug flew away. "Jaune… What have we done?"

Jaune couldn't say anything. He couldn't even think.

* * *

 **AN: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!**

 **And here it is my readers!  
I hope this is to your enjoyment.**

 **I'm sorry it took so long for this one, but the fact that it's a long chapter is pretty self-explanatory.**

 **Next one will be done as soon as possible.**


	19. The Wrath of Smaug

**The Wrath of Smaug**

* * *

 **AN: And so, now comes the destruction of Lake Town.**

 **No "World of Remnant" this time, I wanted to go straight to the scene.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy** ** _my_** **version of it! :)**

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder and her 'guests' were all standing at the balcony, looking at the holographic projection of the live camera feed from Mercury's camera drone. The holo-feed showed Smaug getting drenched in the charmed water. Smaug then bursts out of the water, shouting in pain.

 _"AAH! IT BURNS! YOU THINK YOU KNOW REVENGE?! I'LL SHOW YOU REAL REVENGE!"_

The feed then shows Smaug clawing his way up from the tombs. The drone goes up the hole behind Smaug and witnesses him absorbing all the Grimm in Beacon.

Pyrrha was standing among the guests, she could only watch in the terror of the power this monster had. The holo-feed then showed Jaune and Ruby climbing up the hole and running to the broken front gate.

 _"Jaune… What have we done?"_

Everyone stopped looking at the hologram and looked up to the sky to see Smaug fly across the wide planes between Beacon and Vale. Smaug was flying straight for the town at the center of the lake.

Everyone had a sudden chill running down their spines. The thought of that dragon turning his fangs on the Spire did go through their minds. But their worry grew even more when they heard a chuckle. Everyone turned to see that it was Cinder who was chuckling.

"Not exactly what I was expecting… But entertaining none the less." Cinder said with a devious smile.

Pyrrha looked at Cinder with pure rage in her eyes, "'ENTERTAINING'!? That THING is going to destroy an innocent town and you find that ENTERTAING?!"

Cinder turned around to Pyrrha with an unamused look on her face. She walked up to Pyrrha, signaled the guards to hold her by the arms and shoulders. Once they had her, Cinder grabbed Pyrrha by the throat, "Please keep in mind that my personal restraint is the only thing keeping you alive after your little escape attempt." Cinder started to squeeze a little on Pyrrha's throat then let go. "What's about to happen to those people is a kindness compared to what is instore for this world."

Pyrrha coughed a little, she then looked to Adam. "You're really going to let this happen? I'm sure there are hundreds of Faunus down there in the city!"

Cinder looked to Adam for his reply, as did Locus. Adam kept his face cold and calm, "If there are any Faunus down there, then they knew what they were getting into when they decided to help Atlas. They are all traitors to their own kind… and should burn with the rest."

"Well said, my friend." Cinder said with a smile, she turned back to Pyrrha and slapped her in the face with her glass hand. The glass was hard enough to leave a bruise, and cut her below the right cheek; the cut wasn't deep, but a small trail of blood dripped down her cheek. "That's enough out of you. Next time you speak, I'll have Locus cut your tongue out."

Cinder turned back towards the view from the balcony, she could still see Smaug in the air, flying for Lake Town. She couldn't help but smile as she said, "Now, on with the show."

* * *

(Lake Town, Wash's house)

Wash was at his house, trying to fix it up after the White Fang attack. Simmons and Griff were ordered to help. Although, Griff was mostly sleeping than helping. He was kicked awake by Wash more than once.

As Wash and his son Bain were setting down boards of wood over the holes in the roof, they then hear a sound that they haven't heard in at least 2 years. They heard the Grimm alarm.

Wash and Bain looked to each other with fear in their eyes. Wash felt his heart sank, _"They must have failed."_ He quickly buried his thought and stood up, "Bain, get your sisters from the airport and get to my boat. I'll meet you there."

"But dad…" Bain said with fear in his voice.

"No 'but's son. Now get going." Wash said as he slid off the roof and landed at the front door. Simmons was standing there with his radio at his ear, while Griff was asleep in a rocking chair. Wash kicked Griff's chair back enough to make him fall back, Griff woke up squirming and shouting, "AHH! Sarge I swear I wasn't sleeping! Oh, it's you. What's going on?"

"I think its Smaug. We need to get everyone out of the city!" Wash said as he helped Griff stand up.

"Roger." Simmons said. He then turned around to the other two, "Guys, Sarge is ordering everyone to the bridge to provide covering fire for the civilians. Anyone else can escape with their own boats."

Wash could feel it in his gut that not even if every person in the town were to have a gun and shoot at the beast would be enough. Wash looked down the street at possibly the only hope the city had: the Gauss Cannon. Wash turned to Simmons and Griff, "You guys go ahead. I think I know a way to stop that thing."

* * *

(Air-pad)

Over by the air-pad, Winter had finished healing Sun's leg completely. Sigrid and Tilda were with them, they wanted to talk to the two 'badass women' that came to their house. Blake and Winter shared their stories with the girls, only to be interrupted by the alarm.

Winter looked out to the open air and saw something approaching. She could tell that there was something out there by the small glowing light that was flying right towards them. "The Arkenstone… They must have failed…" _"Weiss…"_

Blake looked to see the same thing Winter did and had only a face of sadness, _"Yang…"_

"Don't get so negative yet, ladies." Both women looked to a fully recovered Sung, who was reloading his guns. "I'm sure their ok. But right now, this city needs us."

"We need to find dad." Tilda said as she was hugging her older sister.

Sigrid knew that her sister was right, she looked to the hunters and the soldier before her, "We need to go."

"You can't go alone." Blake said as she walked up to them, "I know the way to your house from here. I'll escort you."

"Not without me." Sun said as he limped towards Blake.

Blake held her hand up and stopped Sun, "No you are not."

"Blake…" Sun tried to protest.

"Sun, you just got back on your feet. Stay here with Winter, I'll take them to their father." Blake said as she turned around and walked away.

"Hey!" Sun shouted at Blake. Blake turned around to talk again, hoping this time to convince him, but was caught off guard by a surprise kiss from Sun. Sun held her close then let her go, "You better come back."

Blake was a little shocked by the sudden kiss, but she knew it was for good luck, "I will." Blake looked to the two girls and nudged her head as she said, "Let's go."

Sun could only watch as his closest friend ran off. Winter was sitting in the cockpit of the plane and looked to see that it was out of fuel. "Hey Sun, get over here and help me out would you?"

Sun turned around and ran into the Bullhead. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to need your help to fuel this bird up. This may be our only chance against that monster." Winter said as she started flipping switches to begin the fueling process.

* * *

(Mayor's office)

"If this is going to be my last day as Mayor of Lake Town," Junior said as he loaded his rocket launcher with a few missiles, "then let's make it a good one."

The twins put on their blades and nodded in agreement.

They all exited the Mayor's office and ran as fast as they could, while trying not to knock down any civilians that got in their way, to get to the bridge. When they reached it, Junior had his rocket launcher at the ready, keeping his eyes on the sky along with every other soldier in the area.

* * *

Smaug flew over the city three times, picking targets and choosing what to burn first. When he finally made a decision, he flew over the town in a fast glide. As he was gliding over, he let out an inferno that set house and buildings on fire for five blocks. He flapped his wings so that he could rise up in the air higher, turned around and made another pass.

* * *

Before leaving his house, Wash grabbed his rifle and stated to make his way to the watch tower that had the Cannon. After a second pass from Smaug, Wash's path was cut off by a wall of fire, he then climbed up one of the buildings next to him and jumped form one roof top to the next. He managed to navigate around the fire and continued his way to the tower.

* * *

(Entrance to Beacon)

Ruby and Jaune were still standing there; they could see the smoke rising from Lake Town. The rest of the company ran up behind them, they were mortified by the sight.

"Winter…" Weiss said with a sad voice.

"I'm sure she's ok, Weiss. Blake and Sun are there too, and they always find a way." Yang said as she put her hand on Weiss' shoulder.

Weiss shrugged Yang's hand off and walked up to Jaune. She then hit him in the shoulder, Jaune didn't even move. "Well? What's your next 'great plan', Jaune?!"

"Weiss!" Ruby said.

"Oh, come on! I'm just asking… I sure can't think of anything." Weiss mumbled with sadness.

Ruby walked up to Jaune, she rested her hand on his shoulder, "What _are_ we going to do, Jaune?"

Jaune didn't answer, he didn't even move. He was like a statue. She could see it on his face; his face showed sadness, while his eyes showed only fear, and a few tears were welling up.

* * *

(Lake Town)

Wash reached the tower and walked up to the cannon. He pressed its power button but found that the starter key was missing. "Oh, come on!" Smaug then flew past the tower, making a gust of wind that almost knocked Wash off the tower.

Smaug was starting to get fired on by the soldier's below; he was getting with everything from bullets to rockets. Nothing hurt him; none of the weapons were even breaking the skin. Smaug started to laugh at the soldier's attempts to shoot him down, _"_ _ **Pathetic… The lake people never learn.**_ _"_ Smaug flew over the bridge and was about to let out another blast of fire, but felt a bullet hit him in the face, near his eye.

Smaug veered off course and missed his target, blasting buildings he already set ablaze. Smaug flew high to find who shot him, but could barely see through the smoke of his fire. He then continued to scorch the city, thinking he'll get the shooter with a lucky pass.

* * *

Blake led Sigrid and Tilda through the burring city. After running for five blocks, they ran into Bain.

"Bain!" Tilda shouted with joy as she hugged her brother.

"Where's dad?"

"He's with the other soldiers. He wants us to get to the ferry and leave." Bain said as he started to pull on his little sister, "This way."

Blake followed them in case they needed protection. Once they reached the ferry, they heard Smaug fly overhead, he had just scorched another section of the city.

Blake turned to the city and something caught her eye; she saw Bard on the watch tower, shooting at Smaug with his battle rifle. "Look! There's your dad!" Blake said as she pointed.

All three children looked to see that she was right. They saw as Smaug flew past the tower and Wash fired a few shots at him.

"He hit him! He hit the dragon!" Bain shouted.

"His bullets aren't enough to break its armor." Blake said with sadness.

"He's standing next to the Gauss Cannon, why doesn't he use it?" Tilda asked.

"It needs a key. Otherwise it won't power up to fire." Bain said.

Blake turend to Bain, "Do you know where it is?"

"The mayor would have it." Bain said.

Blake looked to them, "Do any of you know how to drive the ferry?"

"I do, dad taught me." Sigrid said as she raised her hand.

"Alright, you need to get out of here. You need to head for the mainland that connects to the bridge." Blake said as she started to walk away.

"What about you?" Tilda asked as tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

Blake turned around and put her hands on the little girl's shoulders, "I'm going to help your dad. Now he'll need you to be brave for your brother and sister, ok?"

"Ok." Tilda said as tears were dripping down her face.

Blake then let go of Tilda and ran as fast as she could into the city. The three kids jumped onto the ferry and floated away from the burning city. Bain felt it in his gut that he had to help his father, before the ferry got too far away, Bain jumped off the boat and landed at the edge of the docks. He could hear his sisters shouting at him to come back, but he continued to run anyway. _"I'm sorry."_

* * *

Blake didn't know where Junior was, but she had an idea where he might be. Blake made her way to the bridge that connects Lake Town to the main land. She could see the streams of bullets and the smoke of rockets coming from the bridge entrance. All the remaining Reds were providing cover fire for the civilians as they were crossing the bridge.

As she finally reached the bridge, she looked around for Junior, she saw him standing on top of one of the gate towers at the bridge. Junior was shooting his rockets at Smaug whenever he got too close.

Blake climbed up to the top of the tower, "Junior!"

Junior looked to see Blake, "What the hell are you _still_ doing here? I thought you left with the others?!"

"Had to stay behind. Where is the Gauss Cannon power key?" Blake asked.

Junior looked at her as if she was a crazy person, "You're insane! We have more important things to worry about! We are the only chance the civilians have of escaping the bridge."

"It may not be enough to kill the dragon, but it may be enough to get its attention away from the bridge." Blake suggested.

Junior pulled out a neckless from under his shirt, revealing a small key. He handed it to Blake but didn't let go until he said, "It only has enough power for three shots… Don't waste them."

Blake nodded and jumped off the tower and onto a roof top and ran towards the tower that Wash was in.

* * *

As Blake was making her way back to the tower, she saw Bain running in the streets below. She jumped down from the roof top and ran beside him.

"I told you to go ashore!" Blake said with irritation in her voice.

"I know how to help. Do you have the key?" Bain asked.

They both stopped, Blake held it up for Bain to see. He took it out of her had, "I'll get it to my dad, you go meet up with your friends, they'll need you there."

Blake looked up to the tower and then behind to see Smaug fly overhead. She knew he was right, but hated the thought of leaving a little boy on his own in the middle of a burning city.

"Be careful." Blake said.

Bain nodded and started to run towards the tower. Blake then ran towards the Air-pad, _"I hope Sun is ok."_

* * *

Wash fired another shot close to Smaug's left eye, making him miss his intended target. Smaug started to get aggravated. Smaug flew past the tower, this time knocking Wash off his feet.

Wash ejected the bullet magazine from his rifle and reached down for the next one, the then felt that there was only one mag left. He loaded it, and aimed for Smaug as he was flying over.

Smaug saw Wash on the tower, instead of burning the tower like a bonfire; he slashed the top of the tower that Wash was standing on. It didn't' knock down the tower, but it did knock Wash off his feet. Smaug's way of 'playing with his food'.

When the tower was hit, Wash was knocked off his feet. He looked to see that he was out of ammo. "DAMN IT!"

"Dad!" Bain shouted as he reached the top of the tower.

"Bain? What are you doing here? I told you to leave!" Wash shouted with anger and worry.

"I wanted to help!" Bain said.

"There's nothing that can stop that thing!" Wash said with anger in his teeth.

"This might help." Bain said as he held up the key.

Wash looked to see that Bain had the key in his hand. He would have asked where he got it from, but that didn't matter at the moment.

* * *

(Beacon entrance)

Jaune's mind was in chaos. He felt at fault for what was happening. He didn't want to lead the company to Beacon at the beginning, he always imagined he'd get them killed, but he didn't expect to see another 'Fall of Beacon'.

"Jaune… Letting this defeat you isn't going to help anyone, let alone yourself." Jaune heard Pyrrha speak to him from behind. "You've come up of ways to win from worse odds."

Jaune cleared his throat and wiped the tears form his face. He then looked out to the city and processed the situation as a strategist would. _"Smaug is out in the open now, so he can fly freely. He might have recovered from most of the wounds we gave him, but there is still damage."_ Jaune could see the Arkenstone on his forehead, _"The Arkenstone made him this big and more powerful than he was when we first saw him, then maybe that is the reason why he can regenerate. And if we can take it away from him, then he can die like any other Grimm."_

Jaune turned around to Beacon's tower, _"We could do some damage to him if we get him to come down below the tower,"_ Jaune thought as he turned back towards Lake Town, _"but we need a way to get him back to Beacon. Something to force him, or lure him back here."_

Jaune's eyes widened when he realized that they did have a way, "Weiss!"

Everyone looked surprised when Jaune shouted at the heiress. "Can you get me a signal that can contact your sister's Bullhead?"

Weiss immediate knew what Jaune had in mind, she pulled out her scroll, "I think so… Thankfully the network is still working and I can open a channel." Weiss pressed a few buttons on her scroll and got the radio frequency to Winter's radio. "I got it! Winter, do you copy?!"

 _"Weiss? Oh thank god you're alive! What happened? Is everyone ok?"_ Winter shouted through the radio.

"We're fine; Jaune needs to talk to you." Weiss said as she handed the scroll to Jaune.

"Winter, its Arc. Listen, I need you to get Smaug back to Beacon, get his attention and fly him near the tower, we'll do the rest." Jaune said with a confident voice.

There was a brief pause after Jaune's order, and then Winter responded, "Copy that."

* * *

(Ari-Pad)

Blake arrived to the air-pad, she was covered in sweat and ash from the rooftops she jumped over to reach the Bullhead.

"Guys! Are you ok?" Blake shouted as she was running up to the Bullhead.

Sun pulled out the fueling pump and dropped it, he ran to Blake and gave her a hug, "We're fine, so are the others." Sun broke the hug and pointed to the Bullhead as he said, "Jaune wants us to do something crazy, you up for it?"

"Hell yes." Blake said with a smile.

They both ran inside the Bullhead as it took off from the pad.

* * *

(Lake Town Bridge)

Smaug had his fill of burning the city, so then he turned his attention to the bridge down below. He flew down and landed on the side of the gate that was inside the city. He crawled over burning buildings and scorched houses as he was making his way to the gate.

He didn't know, but there were a lot of civilians below his feet as he was approaching the gate. The ones that were hiding were hoping to use the bridge to get to safety, but with Smaug there, they couldn't move.

Junior and the Reds saw Smaug crawling towards them; they opened fire on him immediate. Bullets were flying, rockets were soaring, every shot hit their intended targets, but every wound they made was healed fast.

 _"_ _ **With the Arkenstone back in my possession, I am the most powerful being in Vale. And it's all thanks to you, my beloved.**_ _"_ Smaug thought with a devious smile.

Smaug took a deep breath and prepared to torch the bridge with all the soldiers standing near it. Just as he was about to fire, a metal rod hit him in the back of the head at an extremely high speed. The rod shattered like glass against Smaug's skull, causing a massive headache and making him miss.

Smaug turned around fast, growling with anger. Heat could be seen coming out of his mouth as he growled. " **Who are you to stand in my way?!** "

Wash and Bain were standing on the broken tower. Bain was holding the front of the turret up, while Wash held the back and fired. Wash looked in horror and surprise to find that Smaug could speak. He then shook off his shock and rearmed the turret to fire again.

"Lift your end a little bit higher." Wash whispered to Bain.

When Bain lifted his side, Wash fired. The Gauss bullet flew over the houses causing a backdraft through the fire and flew right for Smaug's chest. The rod impacted the left breast plate, making the dent in his armor slightly bigger and deeper, but it remained intact.

Smaug felt no pain form the blast; he started to laugh, " **Ha… What a pity, I was actually expecting a challenge.** " Smaug started to slowly crawl over the burning buildings and make his way towards the tower. " **What are you going to do now, soldier? You are forsaken… No help will come for you now.** " Smaug said with a devious smile.

At the same time as Smaug was talking to Wash, the remaining survivors made their way to the bridge to escape. The Reds followed to help protect the civilians who made it to land. Junior and the twins were the last to run on the bridge, as they were running, Junior looked back for a split second, _"Thank you, Wash."_

Smaug continued to crawl over the buildings; he could see Bain holding the cannon, " **Is that your child? You cannot save him from the fire. You will all BURN!** "

Wash powered the cannon for the last shot. Bain held up the cannon with all his strength, but it was off target. Bain was shaking in fear. "Try to stay still, son." Wash said with a calm voice.

" **So… you chose to stand and fight than run… Hehehe. You would have been a great warrior in my day.** " Smaug smirked. " **But here, you have nothing… Nothing but your DEATH!** " Smaug said as he began to roar.

Bain started to shake as he watched the monster crawl at them. "Bain, look at me." Bain heard his father speak. When Bain turned he saw the calm and control on his father's face. "You look at me."

Smaug was crawling faster and faster towards the tower. Bain was still looking at his father, despite the sound of the dragon getting closer.

"Move to the left a little and lift higher." Wash whispered.

Bain did as he was told. Smaug roared loud enough for the company at Beacon to hear. It was then, Wash fired the final shot.

The Gauss rod blasted out of the cannon, flew past Smaug's mouth, and hit the armor plate on his left side. The blast from the rod's impact cracked the armor plate open, ripping open a few layers of Smaug's skin open like a plastic bag, black goop was pouring out form the wound.

Smaug growled at the pain, he stopped himself, and then put his right claw over his chest. Once he removed his claws, he revealed that the skin was healing, but the armor plate remained broken. Smaug lifted his head to look at Wash and his son with rage filled eyes , " **You are going to pay for that!** "

Smaug took a deep breath; light could be seen coming from his chest and up his neck. Just as he was about to let out a fire ball and burn Wash and his son alive, bullets flew downward and hit Smaug from above. The bullets hit Smaug hard enough to knock his head into the water.

Smaug pulled his head out, it was burning from the charm in the water, like the water that was dumped on him at Beacon. He howled in pain, but the wounds on his face slowly went away as he was healed. He, along with Wash and Bain, looked up to see the Atlas Bullhead flying overhead.

"Why don't you pick on someone you own altitude?!" A man shouted on a loudspeaker from the Bullhead.

Bain and Wash recognized the voice, "SUN!" Bain shouted with joy.

Smaug looked at the Bullhead with a confused look, " **What kind of device is that?** "

"Catch us if you can!" This time it was Blake's voice on the loudspeaker. The bullhead then turned around and flew higher.

Smaug growled, he flapped his wings and then took off after the plane. As his wings flapped, the wind they were causing pushed the tower that Wash and Bain were standing on over. They jumped off in time to land in the water to safety.

* * *

As the Bullhead was flying towads Beacon, Smaug was hot on its tale.

Sun looked on one of the rearview cameras and saw that Smaug was getting larger on the image, "He's gaining on us!"

Winter looked on a similar camera view and saw that he was right, "Mount the side turrets back there and keep him away from us until we reach Beacon!"

Blake unbuckled her seatbelt and walked to the back, Sun's face showed complete shock as he said, "Side turrets?" He unbuckled his seatbelt and followed Blake.

Both side hatches to the Bullhead opened up, and a M247H Heavy Machine Gun came out from the floor on either side of the plane.

"Now this I love!" Sun said as he grabbed the handle to the turret. He pointed the turret to the rear of the plane. Smaug flew close enough to the left side of the plane, where Sun was standing. Once he was close enough, Sun started shouting while shouting, "THIS IS FOR BEACON!"

Smaug felt a hail of bullets hit him in the spine and near the top of his head; it was more annoying than painful. He flew on the opposite side of the plane to avoid the bullets, when he was there; Blake fired her turret on him.

The constant barrage of bullets on Smaug started to irritate him; he flew higher and flapped his wings faster.

Both Blake and Sun lost sight of Smaug, he wasn't on either side. "Sun where is he?" Blake asked.

"He's not on my side!" Sun shouted over the roar of the plane's engines.

They both then looked up to see Smaug dive-bomb towards the plane. "WINTER, DIVE!" Blake shouted at the top of her lungs.

Winter realized why she was being told to dive and did so. Both the plane and the dragon were diving straight down to the ground. Smaug shot a few fireballs at the plane as they descended, none could hit the plane before they dissipated.

Winter quickly pulled up just above the tree line, Smaug couldn't pull up in time and broke right through the trees. He quickly blasted himself out of the forest and flew after the plane again, roaring like a monster.

* * *

(Beacon)

"Ren, Fox, I want you too at the top of the tower, Weiss will help you. Once there, you too will jump down on Smaug's back and damage his wings as best you can." Jaune said as he pointed to the tower.

Fox and Ren nodded in agreement; they and Weiss ran towards the tower to follow their orders.

"Everyone else, once Smaug is grounded, we hit him with everything we got." Jaune said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Everyone took their positions, hiding in the dorms or under trees, out of sight until Smaug crashed.

* * *

Winter flew over Beacon's campus with Smaug hot, literally hot, on her tale. Smaug was about to take a bite out of the tale of the plane but then felt something jump on his back.

Before he could react, he could feel the membranes on his wings being slashed and cut open like paper bags.

He quickly lost control of his flight and crashed into one of the dorm buildings, face first.

The company ran out of their hiding spots and charged at Smaug, each one attacking him in their own way.

Jaune was shooting his Desert Eagle with his enhanced 'armor-piercing' barriers. Ren, Penny and Fox were slashing at Smaug's legs as he was trying to get back up. Neptune and Coco were firing everything they had at Smaug's main body. Velvet formed Nora's hammer and joined Nora, Yang and Yatsu as they all jumped onto Smaug's back and hit him with all their strength. And to keep him from trying to burn them all, Ruby and Weiss were firing 'Ice Flower' shots at Smaug's face.

The Bullhead returned and started opening fire with its mini-gun whenever Smaug tried to swat one of hunters off him or away.

Smaug was overwhelmed by the constant attacks, his body would heal the wounds, but that wouldn't make the pain stop, his body started to feel stiff from the pain.

Jaune saw his chance and ran for Smaug's iced forehead. Jaune swung his sword and cleared the ice from where he had the Arkenstone. As soon as Jaune grabbed it, he felt a sudden burst of energy, it felt… good.

Smaug's eyes quickly opened up, a red glow started to shine on Smaug's chest. Smaug broke the ice over his jaw, swung his head to knock Jaune off, and let out a loud shout along with a massive flaming shockwave, " **EEEEENOOUGH!** "

Everyone was blown away by the Smaug's shockwave. The light from the blast even blinded Winter for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, she saw Smaug leap up from the ground and bite down on the nose of the plane. Smaug pulled down the plane and through it against the building he landed on.

It didn't destroy the plane, nor kill the passengers, but it did knock them all unconscious and cripple the plane.

Smaug turned to Jaune and Ruby as they were both getting back up from Smaug's attack. Smaug quickly swung around and tale whipped them hard enough to send them flying.

* * *

Jaune and Ruby landed all the way to the cliff in front of Beacon, right at the air-port. Both Jaune and Ruby groaned as they both sat up. Jaune looked in front of him and saw Smaug at the front gate, Smaug had eyes of a wild animal; they almost looked like they were glazed over. Smaug then charged at them at his top crawling speed.

They both stood up, Jaune realized that in their flight, the only thing he managed to hold onto was his sword; his pistol must have flown out of his hand in midflight.

Ruby checked her magazine and saw that it was empty, when she reached for her ammo-belt; she felt only one round left. "Last round."

"I lost my gun." Jaune said as he cursed himself. When he looked back up to Smaug again, he noticed something he didn't before.

He noticed the crack in Smaug's left side armor plate, just over his heart. _"I dough my sword could go deep enough to reach his heart. Even so, he'd just heal himself again."_

Jaune looks to Ruby, "How good of a shot are you?"

"Great." Ruby said with a smile

"There is a small hole on Smaug's left chest plate. You'll never get it from here, I can give you a good view of it but you'll only get one shot." Jaune said.

Ruby looks to see that Jaune was right. "I can do it."

"I know, but there is something I need to know first." Jaune said as he turned his whole body to her and held Crescent rose between them, he turned her so that her back was to the cliff and his was towards Smaug.

Smaug was still crawling at them at top speed with his eyes burning and mouth drooling with flames.

"What." Ruby asks as she looks him in the eye.

"Do you trust me?" Jaune asked.

"Yes." Ruby said with full confidence in her voice. Right away she knew what he was about to do, she didn't like the plan, but she knew that it was the only chance they have left.

"Then make it count." Jaune said as he threw Ruby off the cliff, not before he poured what aura he had left in him, including what he absorbed from the Arkenstone when he touched it, into her weapon making it glow as bright as his pistol when he uses it.

 **(What happens next happens in slow motion)**

Jaune then pushes Ruby off the cliff. At the same time as Ruby starts to fall off the cliff, Jaune turns around, and jumps upward.

Smaug lowers his head towards Jaune in an attempt to burn Jaune and then eat him.

Jaune makes his legs glow as he jumps high. He lands on Smaug's snout, runs up his face, swings his sword at the part of Smaug's skull that held the Arkenstone, pulls it out with his free hand, then runs down Smaug's back and tail until he lands back on the ground he once jumped off of.

At the same time as when Smaug's body could be seen from Ruby's positon, she lines her shot to the opening in Smaug's armor and fires her 'Star-Rose' shot, as she would call it.

The glow around the Crescent Rose went into the bullet as it flew out of the barrel of the gun.

Ruby then stabbed her scythe into the cliff side and stopped herself from falling.

The bullet flies into the hole, cuts through Smaug's skin and rips straight through Smaug's heart. The bullet continued past his heart and went right through the armor plate on Smaug's back.

 **(Back to real time)**

Smaug's eyes widened when he felt the bullet go through his heart. " **AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!** "

He began to grunt and howl in pain, he flailed his wings, making climb up higher and higher into the sky.

He looked up towards the moon; through his eyes, he saw Salem. Salem actually looked beautiful; her skin had more of a tan tint, her eyes were red, but weren't glowing. Her hair was silver and braded like it was the last time he saw her. He reached out with his left wing, as if it was a hand, " **Salem… My belove—…** "

Smaug's eyes darkened just before he could finish his last word. His body went limp, in the middle of the air, and then started to fall.

The membrane on his wings disintegrated first, and then his tale started to turn to ash. His body fell straight down from where he started to climb. He fell a few feet away from the cliff side, far away from where Ruby had pinned her scythe into.

The dragon's body continued to fall until it landed in the river below and began to melt away.

Smaug was dead.

* * *

(The Spire)

Everyone standing at the balcony had their jaws to the floor, all except for Pyrrha. Pyrrha was smiling. "Now _that_ was entertaining."

From the corner of Pyrrha's eye she saw Locus walk towards her, pulling his bowie knife from his belt. Cinder quickly turned around and held her hand up to Locus to stop him, she looked very irritated. "Don't."

Cinder then walked up to Pyrrha. The guards next to Pyrrha each grabbed her shoulder and arm to keep her from moving. Cinder looked Pyrrha straight in the eye as she spoke, "You are becoming more trouble than you're worth…"

Pyrrha looked at Cinder with a serious face, she wanted to say something, but she didn't want to aggravate her capture any more than she already has.

Cinder took a step back, "Emerald." Emerald didn't respond, "Emerald!"

"Uh, yes ma'am?" Emerald sounded both scared and awestruck.

"Take her back down below and post guards at her cell." Cinder said with irritation in her voice.

Emerald nodded and motioned for Pyrrha and the guards to move to the elevator.

* * *

(Beacon)

Jaune saw the whole thing, he then looked down and saw Ruby holding on to her scythe.

"Uh, a little help here." Ruby said with a chuckle.

Jaune turned to see the rest of the company running towards him; he saw that Blake was with them, "Blake, we need your help!"

Everyone reached the edge, once Blake looked down to see Ruby; she knew what she was needed for. She handed her pistol to Yatsuhashi, with her bow attached to it, she then jumped off the cliff and swung towards Ruby.

Luckily the bow was long enough to reach Ruby. Once Blake grabbed her, they're momentum brought them back up to the top.

Once at the top, they were greeted by the whole company, including Winter.

"We did it! SMAUG IS DEAD!" Nora shouted with joy as she hugged on Ren's head.

Jaune looked out to what was left of Lake Town, the pain he set aside started to flood back into him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Ruby, and she was smiling.

"We may not have saved them all, but a lot more are alive than if we had done nothing." Ruby said with an optimistic smile.

Jaune started to show a small smirk as he nodded in agreement with her.

"Word will spread of this, you know." Jaune and Ruby turned around to who spoke, there they saw Winter.

"Everyone in the world will learn that Smaug is dead. This isn't the end of it you know." Winter says with a serious look on her face.

"Yeah… I do know." Jaune said with an ominous voice, as he gripped the Arkenstone in his hand a little tighter, and then sneaked it into his pocket.

* * *

 **AN: And so, Smaug is dead, Lake Town is in ruins, and Jaune as the Arkenstone.**

 **I hope you guys are as excited about the next chapter as I am.**

 **Please review if you all have questions, or if you wish to know details that I haven't given.**


	20. Pick up the Pieces

**Pick up the Pieces**

* * *

 **AN: This story has reached 92 followers, I am very honored and excited for this, thank you all for following me this far in the story.  
** **This is now Chapter 20! I'm so happy that I've made it this far.**

 **As for the story itself; Smaug may be dead, but Vale and Beacon still aren't safe… And Jaune still hasn't gotten his revenge.  
** **And some great offers are too good to pass up.**

 **P.S. No Beta-reader this time, so please forgive my poor spelling in case I missed any.**

* * *

(Beacon)

As the sun was rising, Jaune could see a large smoke stack in the west, from what's left of Lake Town. Jaune was standing at over the scorched rock from Smaug's fire. He looked out to see that there were a few boats floating away from the ruined city and could see that there were fires burning along the norther shore of the lake.

Jaune could hear an engine being jump started behind him. He turned to see that there was a small smoke stack coming up from Beacon. He walked over to his motorcycle, which was right next to him.

They retrieved their vehicles after the battle; best not leave them down below to be forgotten.

Jaune rode through the broken front gates of his old school and rode towards Winter's Bullhead, which was slammed against one of the school's dorms.

Winter, Neptune, Weiss Velvet and Coco were working on the Bullhead to get the engines working again, while everyone else was clearing the debris off the wings and body.

Neptune had his goggles on while he was working on the left engine, he repaired a few of the broken whirs inside the wing and then backed off from it, "Try the left engine now, and see if you can get power to it."

Winter heard him and started to flip switches inside the cockpit. The engine started to pop a few puffs of smoke, but then a blue flame blasted out from underneath. "It's working!" Winter shouted over the engine's roar. She then switched off the engine to save fuel. She looked to her right as she shouted, "How's that right engine looking?"

Yatsuhashi slashed a large concrete pillar that was on top of the engine. Coco and Velvet moved the two separate halves out of the way to get a better look at the engine. "Looks largely intact!" Coco said.

Velvet opened one a maintenance door to the engine and saw a problem, "This thing's starter power cell is fried. We'll need a new one."

Coco looked over to Neptune, "Are your rifle's power cells compatible?"

"Should be. I have a few spares." Neptune said as he jumped off the plane to the _Grizzly_ packed below.

Jaune rode up to the _Grizzly_ as Neptune walked into it to get the power cells. "How are we doing? Can it fly?"

"Well," Neptune said as he grabbed one of the power cells then climbed out of the tank, "Left engine is good. As for the right, anyone's guess." Neptune tossed the cell up to Coco.

Coco walked over and handed the cell to Velvet, Velvet then inserted the cell where the old one was. "Try it now!"

Jaune and Neptune then heard the engine start up with a muffled roar. Winter then restarted the left engine.

Weiss used her 'anti-gravity' glyphs to help lift the Bullhead. The plane lifted out of the broken building and hovered a few feet in the air then set down on the opposite side of the _Grizzly_.

Winter walked out of the cockpit after shutting down the engines, she looked towards the leader of this company as she stepped out of the plane. "It could have been worse. Both engines are working fine, but the hull is another story entirely. If we go so much as Mach 1, this plane will break apart as if it was made of cardboard."

"We don't need it to go Mach 1; we just need it to fly." Jaune said as he looked up at it.

"She'll fly, I guarantee that." Winter said.

"Good." Jaune said with a smile. "Listen up, everyone." Jaune shouted as he turned in a circle to get a quick glance at everyone around him. "Anyone who wants to go to Lake Town to help the people you are free to take the Bullhead and go. But Weiss, Neptune and Velvet need to stay here to fix the tower."

Winter was the first inside the Bullhead and started take off procedures as everyone else was climbing aboard. Coco, Yatsuhashi, Fox, Sun, Blake and Yang got onto the plane. Yang was the last one onboard; she stood at the edge of the plane.

"Try not to break anything until we get back." Yang said with a half-smile.

"Of course not, that's your job." Jaune said with a smirk.

The Bullhead's main doors closed, lifted off the ground, and flew towards Lake Town. Jaune turned to everyone who stayed, he gave them a small smile, "Let's get this tower up and running again. Let me know if you need any help." Jaune walked away from the group.

"What are you going to be doing?" Weiss asked, not in a smart-alecky way, she was honestly curious as to what he was planning to do while they were there.

Jaune turned towards the tower and looked up to it; his smile went a way as he said, "I need to check out Ozpin's office. I need to see if Ozpin's data files were still there." Jaune started walking towards the tower when he finished.

 _"Wait, that's where…"_ Ruby was about to run up to him to stop him, but instead, Ren stopped her. He grabbed onto her hand and pulled her back, when she looked back at him, she saw a sympathetic face.

"He's been waiting two years to come back here; this is something he needs to do on his own." Ren said with sadness in his voice. Ren looked to the rest of the group, "Come on; let's fix this tower."

Everyone nodded, Weiss pulled up the schematics on what to fix to restart the tower.

* * *

(Northern shore of Lake Town)

It was chaos. People screaming from the burns they suffered when Smaug blasted over their heads. Some were crying out for their lost loved ones in the aftermath.

Wash's ferry arrived at shore with Sigrid and Tilda onboard, along with a handful of survivors they picked up along the way.

Once they reached shore, they both searched desperately for their brother and father.

Junior and the Twins made it across the bridge along with a majority of the Reds platoon.

"What's your status, Sargent?" Junior asked Sarge.

Sarge pulled up his radio and showed that it was broken beyond repair. "Radios are gone and my platoon is down to half strength."

Junior looked to the ruined city with sad eyes, "Salvage what you can and bring it ashore."

"Yes, sir." Sarge said as he saluted to Junior.

As Junior was walking along the shore, hoping to help anyone out of the water who needed assistance, he saw that there were two people swimming to shore

The twins looked to Junior as he spoke, they saw who he was looking at and ran into the water to help him. When they caught up to Junior they saw that the people were David Washington and his son Bain.

Junior and the twins helped Wash and Bain to shore. Once they brought him to land, Junior and the twins helped sit Wash and Bain down on rocks to help catch their breaths.

"How in hell did you survive that?" Junior asked with a half-smile.

"Well, when the tower fell, we landed in the water." Wash said as he tried to sit his son up.

"You always were the lucky one." Junior said.

Wash was about to ask Junior a question but then heard two familiar voices from the distance.

"DAD!" "DADDY!"

Wash turned to see his daughters running up to him with tears in their eyes. He hugged them both when they slammed into him.

"It was Wash! I saw him distract the dragon to help us escape!" one of the people in the crowd shouted. Wash looked around to see that everyone was looking to him and were clapping and cheering him on. "Washington the hero! Washington the dragon hunter!"

Wash was surprised that the people were so quick to cheer for him. It would seem that he had been redeemed from his past mistakes. Just as the crowd was cheering, an aircraft flew overhead, landing just outside from the crowd.

Wash saw the company walk out of the plane and walk towards the crowd; he felt a large weight lift off his shoulders. _"Oh, thank god they are ok."_

"HEY! It's them; those hunters! Ever since they showed up the White Fang attacked us and then the Dragon rained fire on our city!" One of the men in the crowd shouted.

Blake and the others looked worried the crowd would attack them out of anger. Wash quickly cut through the crowd, his children following him, and stood between the crowd and the company with his arms wide. "This is not their fault! They didn't mean for the dragon to come to us!"

The crowd stopped to look at their 'hero', it was evident that they were enraged at the hunters but they weren't as mad as to not listen to Wash. Wash continued, "If it wasn't for them, we would still be living under that monster's shadow. Our town was dying, there's no denying that. And now that Smaug is gone, we are all free of it."

"But our town is ash!" A woman shouted. "Where will we go?" A man asked

Wash turned to Ruby for the answer to the question. Ruby stepped forward, with a confident stride and stood next to Wash, "We will all go to Vale!"

"Vale?" "Vale is a ruin!" "The Grimm have already over run the city!"

"No, not anymore." Winter said as she walked up next to Ruby, "When we flew over the city on our way here, there was no sign of Grimm for over a hundred miles; the Grimm-detectors showed no Grimm in the city."

"Vale sounds like the safest option." Wash said, "It'd take too long for us to reach the Wall. And we can't just stay here."

Some of the crowd nodded in agreement, others started to chat amongst themselves over what to do. Junior quickly jumped onto the plane and pulled out it's microphone to the bullhorn, "Everyone! Everyone!"

The crowd died down to listen to their mayor, "In situations like these, it is the job of the Sheriff to make such decisions for the people. As my last act as mayor of what was once Lake Town, I'd like immediately nominate David Washington as our people's Sheriff again. All those in favor say 'aye'."

"AYE!" the whole town shouted at once, including the company.

"All apposed?" Junior said.

Not one person made a sound. "Then it's decided." Junior finished.

Everyone, including the company clapped and congratulated Wash for his return to active duty. Ruby then looked to Wash, "What would you like for us to do first, Sheriff?"

Wash turned to Blake then to everyone else who was looking to him for his answer. As Wash walked up to the plane, Junior handed the microphone to him, "Our first order of business would be to tend to the wounded and gather as much food and resources as we can before we set out to Vale."

"You heard him! Let's get to it!" one of the men in the crowd shouted. Everyone immediately started getting to work.

As the crowd was dispersing, Ruby turned towards Wash but was caught off guard when Tilda ran up and hugged her. Blake quickly hugged her back then looked to Wash, "Thank you for standing up for us. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be… It was bound to happen eventually…" Wash said as he looked out to the smoking ruin of what was once his home. "If anything, your involvement might have saved more lives than if you hadn't shown up."

"What do we do now, dad?" Bain asked.

"We pick up the pieces… and move on." Wash said as he patted his son's shoulder.

* * *

(Beacon, CCT Tower/Ozpin's office)

It only too Jaune one hour to walk up the steps to Ozpin's office; if it wasn't for the Star Knight's enhanced aura within him, it would have been hours before he reached half way up.

Jaune opened the door that lead into the room and stepped out. He saw that there were pieces of wood all along the ground, most likely form Ozpin's wooden furniture, and the wood looked moldy and rotten. Broken bits of rock metal and glass spread out along the floor; every step he took he could either hear metal clinking against rock or glass crackling under his feet.

Jaune took a few steps towards the center of the room. There was a chill on the air; being so high up and no windows it wasn't surprising.

A small refraction of the sun hit Jaune's eyes, it came from below him. Jaune looked down and saw gold metal plates on the round. Jaune picked up the gold piece of metal and recognized it's crafting, _"It's Milo."_

Jaune gripped the broken metal plate in his hand, tight enough that the sharp part of hit cut his palm. He didn't even feel the pain in his hand from the cut.

"I bet that was one hell of a blade."

Jaune heard a voice from behind. It wasn't familiar to him, so he quickly drew his sword and pointed to the man behind him.

The man who stood behind him was tall, had brown hair and black eyes. He couldn't see his irises, which made Jaune a little uneasy.

"Relax; I'm not here to fight you. Partially because I can't." The man said as he lifted his hands up.

"Who are you?" Jaune said with a rather angry voice.

"To be completely honest… I don't remember my name." The man said.

Jaune's eyebrow lifted in confusion to the man's answer.

"I haven't heard it or ever used it in so long, I don't even remember… Kind of a tragedy really." The man said with a sad voice.

"Ok then, what do you want? Why are you here… of all places?" Jaune gestured to the ruined remains of Ozpin's office. _"There's no way he is a survivor form the Fall of Beacon… The Grimm had held this place for two years, and he looks to healthy to have been hidden hear for that long."_

"You're right, I'm not a survivor." The man said. Jaune's eyes went wide as the man repeated what he just thought. The man then walked into Jaune's sword, and no damage was done to him, Jaune didn't even feel any force against the blade. It was as if the man was an illusion.

"You can see and hear me, so long as you are the owner of the Arkenstone." The man said as he pointed to Jaune's left pocket.

Jaune looked down and saw that the stone was still there. Jaune sheathed his sword and pulled out the stone form his pocket. "How is that possible?"

"Well, a long time ago, I was given this stone by the woman I loved." The man said. "It gave me power that I couldn't have imagined. You know what I'm talking about… You felt the power I gave you when you touched the stone the first time."

"Yes… it helped us to defeat Smaug." Jaune said with shock in his voice.

"And it helped me to defeat many enemies in my time. But then, my beloved was slain, and I lost my way." The man said. "I couldn't think straight, when my enemies came for me I could not stand against them as I did before. Smaug was the last enemy I fought, and lost to." Jaune had a small since of sympathy for the man; he felt the same way when he learned of Pyrrha's death. "So, I was defeated. My body was broken, I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything but hold onto the gift my late beloved gave me and wait for the end."

"After my defeat, Joan Arc sealed Smaug away below the nearby mountain, and cast the stone below the school you call Beacon." The man said with anger. "When I died, I became tied to the stone, it kept my soul here while my body turned to dust through time."

"So you're a ghost… What do you want?" Jaune asked.

"I want to help you, Jaune." The man said with a half-smile. "I've looked into your memories, and I know that you feel the same pain I did so long ago. I know I will never get my revenge, but I can at least help you get yours."

"How?" Jaune asked.

"From what I could tell form your memories, this Cinder Fall is a very formidable combatant. You will need more of an edge if you hope to defeat her." The man said with a very serious and critique voice.

"I've already beaten her once, I can do it again." Jaune said with a confidant voice.

"You caught her by surprise, you won't be so lucky twice." The man said with a frown. "And form what I can see in your memories you aren't as skilled as her. The likelihood is that you will fail if you take her on."

"Then how the hell am I supposed to win?" Jaune said with anger growing in his voice.

"I can give you power." The man said. Jaune was caught off guard to that answer. "The power that I gave you helped you to kill Smaug. I can give you more to defeat this woman."

"You give me great power, and I get my revenge… Why do I get the feeling that there's a catch." Jaune said with a suspicious look.

The man nodded slightly, "You would be right. I would be an idiot to offer you so much without asking something in return."

"What do you want?" Jaune asked with a dull face.

"I want to be your advisor." The man said with a serious voice.

Jaune looked at the man with disgust, "Why?"

The man cut him off, "If you want to protect the city that you liberated, you'll need someone with experience on the matter advising you. Plus, you want to avenge the woman you loved. Most men would do anything for it. And I can assure you, you will get no better offer from anyone else in this world." The man said with his arms crossed.

Jaune turned around, he felt conflicted. "Jaune, you don't have to do this." Jaune turned to see Pyrrha standing behind him. "I don't trust this guy; he could be leading you down the wrong path."

"What he knows could be invaluable, and the power he can give me can help me against Cinder. Then you can rest… we both can rest." Jaune said with a little bit of anger in his voice.

"If it eases your nerves, you can be rid of me as soon as you get what you want. No strings attached." The man said with his arms crossed.

Jaune looked to Pyrrha, she looked to him with an uneasy glare, similar to the one she had when Jaune was 'hanging out' with Cardin. Jaune turned around and walked up to the man, "Very well. But if you lead me the wrong way, you go."

"As you wish." The man said as he put his hand over the left side of his chest. The man then waved his hand over Jaune, Jaune felt a sudden relief. "Here's a little bonus to a bargain well struck."

Jaune could feel the new power within him, it felt really good. He didn't feel any pain where he felt it before. His aura was stronger and he felt as if he could run a thousand miles and have enough energy to spare.

"Now I do believe you wanted to fix this tower? I have a suggestion for you if you don't mind hearing it." The man said.

"I'm all ears." Jaune said as he crossed his arms.

"Well, from what I learned from your memories, Atlas is out there behind their wall. Now that Smaug is gone, what's to stop them from coming here and taking Beacon and Vale for themselves?" The man said.

"You think they'll try to take the city? Why?" Jaune asked with a suspicious voice.

"Well, there is all that gold beneath the school, and if history is as I remember, Atlas once tried to conquer Vale. Or they could be after the Arkenstone." The man said as he pointed to the stone in Jaune's hand.

"So it's the stone they really want." Jaune started to think out loud.

"Well, you have already felt a small portion of its power, imagine what would happen if someone like General Ironwood were to get a hold of such power." The man said.

"You're right…" Jaune said with an ambitious voice, "If he is coming, he'll probably bring an army. Once the tower's fixed I can contact my sister and get reinforcements." Jaune put the stone back into his pocket and started walking fast to the stair case, he stopped right at the entrance and looked to the man, "Um, since you don't remember your name, what should I call you then?"

The man looked up and thought for a second, then he made his choice, "I've heard this name before, and I'm rather fond of it. You can call me 'Felix'." He finished with a smile.

Jaune nodded a little, "Nice name." Jaune then walked down the stairs.

* * *

(CCT Tower/Ground floor)

Jaune walked out of the stairway and walked outside. He looked around and saw the others working on the Tower's primary generator. They had the Grizzly parked next to it and wires connecting the generator. Just as Jaune walked up to them, the generator started up again.

"It lives again." Neptune said as he pulled his goggles off his face. He looked to see that Jaune was standing a few feet away, "Hey, Jaune. You find anything up there?"

Weiss hit him upside the head for asking such a question. Jaune looked to the generator then to them, "Nothing of value up there. How are we on the tower?"

"Well," Weiss said as she walked up to Jaune, pulling out her scroll she went over what was to be done next. "Now that the power is back on, we just need to fix the antenna and boot up the software."

"And get rid of that virus that Cinder used to mess with the Tower's systems and Atlas' military." Penny pointed out.

"What virus?" Ruby asked.

"When I was reactivated, I looked into the reports as to what happened. Cinder and her group implanted a virus into the CCT tower's network and into General Ironwood's flagship." Penny said as she projected a digital slideshow of all she explained with her scroll. "Lucky for us, when Smaug smashed threw the tower's dish, it stopped the virus form uploading into the network."

Weiss eyes widened, "You're right, we need to take that thing out before we reconnect the network or it'll spread."

"We still need to fix the dish or the network will go down." Velvet said as she pointed upward.

"Ok, Neptune you go with Velvet and fix the dish, but don't turn it on until we give the signal. Penny, you will come with us and help Weiss wipe the virus form the system." Jaune said as he handed Neptune a wacky talky from the _Grizzly_.

"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked.

"Once the tower is back online, I need to make a call to my sister and get some help here." Jaune said.

They both nodded then they all went into their different teams.

* * *

(CCT Tower/Main computer room)

Jaune, Weiss, Penny and Ruby walked into the main computer room. Weiss and Penny walked over to the central computer and started working their techno-magic.

Ruby was looking around the room, it had been untouched. Most of the computers and chairs were covered in dust. Ruby stood near the computer that Weiss and Penny were working on, "Back during the prom, Cinder came here. I didn't know why at the time, but now it's clear that that day was when she put the virus into the computer."

"It surprises me that Atlas and Vale security couldn't detect the virus until it was too late." Penny said.

"Maybe she had help." Weiss said as she put up the code the virus was made out of, "The complex code this virus is made out of is way beyond someone like her."

"Can you remove it?" Jaune asked.

"Already in the process." Weiss said with a smile.

"I'll sync into the backup hard drives and erase any part of the virus that may still be in there, that way we can get it all." Penny said as she connected her finger into the tower's sever next to the computer. "And… done. The server is completely virus free."

"Just finished the hard drives. We are clear to bring the network back up." Weiss said with a smile.

Jaune pulled out the wacky talky and turned it on, "Neptune? How are you guys on the dish?"

 _"We're all set here. Waiting on you."_

"Do it." Jaune said with a smile.

They all looked to the computer screen where it showed network connection, for a few seconds it remained as it was, saying 'no connection'. Then it said 'connection established'. Everyone started cheering. Jaune walked over to the window and pulled out his scroll and typed the message:

 **"Carol, its Jaune. I am ok and my company is ok too. We killed Smaug, sadly not before he laid waste to Lake Town. Its people are making their way to Vale for safety. I have a feeling that General Ironwood will take advantage of the situation, I need you here. Bring everything you can spare. And be ready for a fight."**

Once he was done, he pressed the send button and closed his scroll.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Mercury was working on the computer, he then cursed out loud. "Damn it!"

"What is it, Mercury" Cinder asked as she entered the room, following her were Locus and Adam.

"Well, I got good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Eris wiped the virus form the tower's system, now it won't be able to spread to the other towers." Mercury said with a frown, but then his frown went to a half smile, "The good news is that she didn't wipe the virus before it could give me full access to this area's 'Grimm-Warning' system."

"Meaning?" Adam asked.

"Meaning that I can set it to not warn anyone to any Grimm that are coming for the city, that would include Atlas systems." Mercury said with a devious smile.

"So there could be an army of Grimm coming our way and they wouldn't even know it?" Locus asked.

"Not until it was already on top of them." Mercury said as he sat back and put his hands behind his head.

"Well done, Mercury." Cinder said with a smile.

"What do we do now?" Adam asked.

"We wait for our next set of orders form my mistress." Cinder said as she left the room.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Sorry the chapter is so small; the next one will be more dramatic, because we will be going back to Dol Guldur.**

 **Hope you guys like my adaptation to the story.**

 **New chapter will be up soon.**


	21. (Almost) A Family Reunion

**(Almost) A Family Reunion**

* * *

 **AN: Qrow and Ozpin are locked up in Dol Guldur.**

 **We all already know what is about to happen, but I would like to add something before you read this chapter, a new character is going to make an appearance.  
She is who I have chosen to be Jaune's mother, she will be based off a known Disney princess like I did with Merida, but I am willing to bet no one will know who it is until you see her name. )**

* * *

(Dol Guldur)

Ozpin woke up in the dangling cage; he looked to his left and saw Qrow, it looked like he was starting to wake up.

"Qrow… Qrow, can you hear me?" Ozpin whispered.

Qrow groaned and put his hands to his head, "Ahhh… My head hurts worse than when I drank Taiyang's homemade whisky."

"I remember… you were out for three days after that." Ozpin said with a small smile.

"How long was I out this time?" Qrow asked as he raised his head to look at his old friend.

"I'm guessing only one day." Ozpin said, he couldn't tell if it was night time or day, the sky was covered with dark clouds that blackened the sky.

"Huh, well, that's an improvement." Qrow huffed with a smile. Qrow looked down to see that they were both in separate cages, dangling over a black chasm.

"I don't know how were going to get out of this one." Ozpin said as he looked down too.

"If we're lucky, Jaune and his company have already brought the tower back online." Qrow said.

"Why?" Ozpin asked with a curious face.

"Because before I found you and Jonah, I set my scroll to auto-send a message to our friends as soon as Vale's tower was on again." Qrow said with a smile.

Ozpin started to feel hope, a feeling he hadn't felt in a while. His feelings then went to guilt, "How is Jaune, by the way?"

Qrow looked to Ozpin with a little bit of guilt on his own face, "He's, uh… He's in pain… Pyrrha is dead."

Ozpin let out a sigh of sadness and put his hands to his forehead. "I was a fool to think using Pyrrha would work out for the better."

"Hey, we were desperate, all of us. And plus she had a choice." Qrow said.

"Yes, but we put thoughts in her head, making her feel that she destine to be a savior, but in reality we were just going to use her to keep Fall's powers away from Salem." Ozpin said with tears falling from his face. "It has all been for nothing…"

"Not entirely. Jaune is becoming a Star Knight." Qrow said. "He may still be in pain, but he's growing fast. He started improving when he rejoined his friends on their mission."

"But he's not whole… Isn't he?" Ozpin asked. Qrow gave no reply, which made Ozpin even guiltier, "And I did that to him. Pyrrha died because of what we told her, and so it tore our last chance down."

"But he is fighting. He's leading Ruby and the rest of their friends to take back Beacon, and to kill Cinder." Qrow said.

"But he's doing it out of vengeance, not because it's his duty." Ozpin said with slight anger in his voice, which then turned to sadness, "His father wouldn't want to do that."

Tears then fell from Ozpin's face, "Jonah… He wasted his life on us for nothing." After being locked away in a crystal for two years, hearing his closest friend die, learning that the son of his closest friend was now in the worst kind of pain, and to top it all off, he feels responsible for the possible destruction of the whole world… Ozpin's spirit might have just broken.

"Hey, stop it! Don't talk like that, Ozpin! That's not the man I know! That's not the man that our friend, your brother, gave his life for." Qrow said with anger in his voice and a serious look on his face, "You are getting out of here, and you're going to pass on your old leader's message to his son, alive!"

"That's enough out of both of you!"

The both turned to see a White Fang Lieutenant standing there; he was tall, around 7 ft. and large muscles, wearing an inverted colored Grimm mask, and with a red broad axe over his back.

"The Necromancer ordered me to question you." He pulled his axe out, latched it to the bars to Ozpin's cell and pulled him towards him. He picked up the cell, unhinged it to the crane holding it up and through it to the ground behind him. "And he said to get the information however I choose." The lieutenant said with a devious voice.

The lieutenant unlocked the cell door and pulled Ozpin out. He threw him to a small stone post in the center or the room. The post was covered in dry blood, and the blood was all around only one spot of the post.

"Tell me everything you know of the Horcrux ring." The lieutenant said. "Where you believe it is, and who you think is protecting it." He pulled Ozpin's left arm over the post, over the dry blood, and then lowered the pommel of his axe right above Ozpin's hand. "For every lie you tell me, I will break every bone in your hand and work my way up."

Ozpin picked up a rock that was next to his foot and hit it against the lieutenant's face. The rock shattered on impact with the Grimm mask. The lieutenant looked to Ozpin, "Oh, I'm sorry, were you trying to hurt me?"

The Lieutenant slammed the pommel on Ozpin's thumb, knocking the knuckle out of place. Ozpin tried to keep his shouting as quiet as possible, but the pain was too much.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU BASTARD!" Qrow shouted form his cell.

The lieutenant set down his axe picked up a rock and threw it at Qrow's cage. Qrow backed up when the cage was hit by the rock. "Wait your turn, reaper!"

The lieutenant raised the axe up and questioned Ozpin again. Ozpin remained silent, the lieutenant was about to slam down on Ozpin's index finger but stopped when he started to hear taps on the ground behind him. The taps sounded like woman's high heels, and they were getting louder.

Qrow heard the sound too; he immediate knew who the heels belonged too, which made him smile. _"This guy is going to get it now."_

Ozpin looked behind the lieutenant to see who was approaching, he started to smile.

The lieutenant turned slowly, letting Ozpin go and faced who was approaching. There stood a woman; blond hair, green eyes and wearing a black skirt and purple cloak over her back. In her hand was a riding cord, she was gripping it very tightly.

"I am here for my friends." Glynda said with a cold and serious voice, "If you stand in my way, I will kill you."

"Arrogant humans." The lieutenant said with a snarl, "I'll make sure you scream before you die!" He raised his axe high and charged at her.

Glynda first lifted her crop high and hit it against the axe as it was coming down. The axe shattered like glass in his hands, while the wood handle was sent flying out of his hand. The lieutenant looked to Glynda and charged at her like a wild animal. Glynda then swung her crop on the back swing and hit the lieutenant in the chest. The shock from the blast sent the lieutenant flying for miles outside the fortress; he could be seen falling towards the forest and then lost once he fell into the tree line.

"Well, one thing's for sure, if he wasn't dead, he'll wish that he was after that." Qrow chukled.

"Qrow! Ozpin!" Glynda first used her telekinesis to pull in Qrow's cage and dropped him next to Ozpin. Then she ran over to Ozpin and tried to lift him up. Qrow kicked open the cage and climbed out.

When Glynda pulled Ozpin up she realized that he was unconscious, most likely he went into shock from the pain and lack nourishment in this nightmare factory of a fortress. Glynda looked to Qrow, "Are you ok? Can you walk?"

"Yeah. Glad you got my message." Qrow said as he walked over to them.

"I'm so happy you found him." Glynda said as she laid her hand on Ozpin's face, trying to lift his head to her own. She rested her forehead over his, tears started to drip form her eyes, "I almost thought I'd never see him again." She then composed herself and looked to Qrow, "Can you help me carry him?"

"Yeah." Qrow said as he took Ozpin's arm over his shoulder.

Glynda took the other arm and started walking them out. Just as they were about to exit the tower, Qrow stopped them. "Wait, hold up."

"What is it?" Glynda asked.

Qrow let go of Ozpin and went over to the wall and grabbed a few things. He grabbed his scythe in its locked up mode and his flask. "Can't forget these."

"You and your alcohol." Glynda said as she rolled her eyes and a small smile.

Qrow then put Ozpin over his shoulder again and they both continued to leave the tower. As they exited the tower, they walked down to the top floor of the fortress. It had no ceiling and no side walls along the edge, and it was wide and open, a perfect place for an ambush by a clever man.

Glynda and Qrow started to hear a voice in the shadows around them. The voice belonged to a man, Qrow recognized the voice. "One Maiden unleashed a blizzard on Atlas, another poisoned the forests of Vacuo, a third terrorized the people of Mistral…"

"And two knights broke their vows and succumbed to their corruption." Glynda finished.

Five figures appeared around them. Three women; One in light blue cloth and hood with ice forming over the ground beneath her feet holding an ice spear **(The Winter Witch)** , one in pink cloth with razor sharp fingers and sharp teeth behind her lips **(Summer Banshee)** , and a third in purple cloth that resembled wings and had talons for fingers **(Spring Harpy)**. Two men; One covered in black armor with a white stripe running down his arms holding a long sword **(Black Knight of Atlas)** , and the other wearing black armor but with green strips running down his arms holding two short swords **(Black Knight of Vacuo)**. All of whom have blood red eyes and skin as pail as the moon.

A third man walked out of the shadows, carrying a black pitchfork, stood behind the three hunters. "You've come a long way, Glynda Goodwitch, to die here." Hades said with a devious grin. "Surrender now and I will guarantee you will be treated fairly."

Glynda and Qrow turned to face Hades; she gave no response but a simple glare of anger and hate. "One light alone cannot stand up to the darkness and succeed."

"Who said I was alone?" Glynda asked with a serious voice.

As if on queue, three new figures broke through the darkness and revealed themselves to their enemies.

The first was a woman in black and red, holding a long katana.

The second to come out was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing silver gauntlets similar to Yang's Ember Celica.

The last stood a woman with dark skin, blue eyes, pure white hair and was wearing blew armor that covered her as much as Pyrrha's did, however she didn't look to be any relation. Her weapons were a spear with a curved blade and a shield.

"You need any help, Glynda?" Taiyang asked with a smile.

All of the dark ones looked to their enemies, the Summer Banshee screeched with anger.

Hades began to laugh, "Hahaha. Well, this is interesting. This is _almost_ a family reunion." Hades turned to both Taiyang and the woman in blue armor as he said their names, "Taiyang Xiao Long… And Kida Atlantia…"

Both gripped their weapons tight when he said their names. Hades continued, "You know… I can reunite you with those that you've lost. After all, I am a Necromancer." Hades gave them a devious grin. He pointed his pitchfork to the ground, as he lifted his weapon up two white figures came up from the shadows below him. "Jonah Arc and Summer Rose… They can come back to you, _alive_."

Kida and Taiyang felt the urge to beg for their loved ones back, but they stopped themselves before they could utter the words. "All you have to do… is swear allegiance to our mistress Salem, and they are yours."

Kida broke out of the temptation first by slamming her spear down and made a lightning bolt shoot up from the tip of the spear. "My husband is dead… I found him on my way here… And there is nothing that you or I can do to bring him back. The least I can do is avenge him!"

"As will I!" Taiyang said with pure rage in his eyes, "I will not let my beloved's memory be tarnished by pricks like you!"

Hades gave them a disappointing look and waved his pitchfork threw the images of Jonah and Summer and made them fade away. The Nazgul made their battle stances, both Spring and Summer let out their own screeches in response to Taiyang's comment.

"You were better off dead." Raven said as she held her sword at the ready.

All the Nazgul charged at the three newly arrived hunters; Taiyang took the Spring Harpy, Raven took on both black knights in a sword fight, Kida took on the Winter Witch.

The Summer Banshee charged at Qrow while he was still holding Ozpin. Qrow quickly drew his weapon and fired a few shots at the Banshee. She quickly backed off right as a shot hit her shoulder. "Try to revive him, we'll deal with them." Qrow said as he let Ozpin go and left him to Glynda.

Glynda carried Ozpin to a pedestal in the center of the area, right in the middle of the fight between the hunters and the Nazgul. "Ozpin… Please, wake up. We need you." Glynda whispered. She then kissed him on his forehead. Glynda then began to glow, her aura had become visible. Then her aura appeared to be moving from her body and into Ozpin's.

Taiyang threw a few quick jabs and an uppercut right in the Harpy's face. She quickly started slashing her talons at Taiyang as he threw his fists at her, their attacks blocked each other with every swing until Taiyang kicked the Harpy right in the chest, sending her off the tower. She quickly recovered and flew straight up then down on Taiyang.

Raven didn't have too much of a hard time sword fighting the Black Knights. They had skill, no question, but she was using their size and power against them, making them swing their blades at each other more than once.

Kida managed to hold her own against the Winter Witch. Kida's spear managed to shatter the witch's ice spear instantly. Kida used her semblance and electrified her spear to the point that it burned the witch when she was hit by it. The witch constantly formed different weapons out of ice, from swords to spears to hammers. She even tried to freeze Kida solid, but Kida blasted the witch with a lightning bolt before the ice could envelope her.

Qrow swung his weapon while it was in scythe mode, the Banshee was quicker than he'd expected. Every time he missed, she tried to screech into his face. But he managed to kick her away just before she could get a lucky shot in. At the moment, they seemed to be in a stalemate.

After only half a minute of Glynda transferring her aura's energy into Ozpin, he finally woke up. He gasped and looked Glynda in the eye, "I failed, Glynda. She is here."

"You didn't fail. There is still a chance." Glynda said with hopeful eyes. She hugged Ozpin tight; she almost thought she wouldn't see him again.

Ozpin was about to say he was a failure again but was cut off by the sound of a rabbits running past them and a cart pulling up next to them. "Ozpin! You're ok!"

Radagast jumped off his sled and ran up to Glynda and Ozpin. "Here, my friend." Radagast handed Ozpin back his cane.

The moment the cane was put in his hand, the grey Diamond dust shard began to glow.

Raven finished off her combatants by blocking the Atlas knight's heavy slash and deflected it into the Vacuo knight. The Vacuo knight was sliced diagonally in half. While the blade was still on the ground from the slash; Raven quickly decapitated the Atlas knight before he could raise his sword back up. Both bodies fell down to the shadows below them and evaporated.

Taiyang and the Harpy repeated their punching counter slashing as they did before, both swinging their arms rapidly in an attack-block. Taiyang broke the block by backing up with two shots form his gauntlet then switched his gauntlets to 'rapid-fire' mode. He then moved in, knocked both the Harpy's talons away and grabbed onto her neck with is right hand, then fired nonstop into her head, obliterating it. Her body fell limp and fell into the darkness and evaporated.

Kida blocked a barrage of ice shards from the witch. The witch showed no sign of letting up, so Kida quickly charged up her spear and threw it right at her. The spear stabbed into the witch's chest and sapped her until she shattered like an ice sculpture. The ice shards were enveloped into the shadows below their feet.

The banshee backed far enough away from Qrow to use the full power of her screech. It made everyone want to cover their ears. The shockwaves from the screech were blasting Qrow hard; he had to stab his scythe into the ground to keep himself from flying off the fortress. The banshee stopped her screech and took in a deep breath. Qrow took this opportunity and charged at her. Having his scythe at the ready, he swung with all his might and sliced the banshee's head clean off. Her body fell to the ground and evaporated into the darkness like the ones before.

Everyone then turned to the only dark figure left in the area. Hades looked to everyone and started to laugh. "You think you've won?" Hades then opened his arms wide and lifted them up high, and from the darkness on either side of him, all the Nazgul emerged, unharmed, undamaged, and very pissed off. "I am the _NECROMANCER_! You kill them, I bring them back! 'Rinse and Repeat'."

Ozpin then stood up, with the help of Radagast and Glynda. He gave Hades a very serious look on his face.

"Ozpin…" Hades said with a devious grin, "You're awake. Good. I have someone who would like to speak with you." Hades then formed a large black mass from the darkness; it took the shape of a woman.

It was the same woman that talked to Cinder the last time she was in Dol Guldur. She had pail white skin and blood red eyes. Her hair matched the same color as her skin and she had black roots coming up from her neck and into her eyes. " **Hello again, Ozpin.** "

"Salem." Ozpin said under his breath. All the hunters, including the brown wizard, had a large chill run down their spine.

" **Can't you see that you've already lost?** " Salem said with a confident voice. " **From the beginning I have had the power to predict the future.** " Salem said, everyone's faces went to complete shock to this revelation.

 _"That's why she's been able to be one step ahead of us this whole time."_ Glynda thought in fear.

" **And I already see what will happen in Beacon…** " Salem says as she raises her hands to her head, " **I see a great battle, many banners, all fighting each other. Thousands will perish, your 'smaller soul' will be extinguished, and at the end, I will have a new Black Knight to add to my collection.** "

Her smile faded when she saw a light shine from Ozpin's cane. Ozpin moved towards Salem and out of his friend's grasp. His eyes began to glow a softer form of red and the skin on his face turned green. Ozpin raised his cane and pointed its jewel end towards Salem. _"YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE, CHILD OF SARON!"_

Salem moved her hand over her face, shielding herself form the light as it was burning her. She attempted to move closer to knock the cane out of Ozpin's hand but the pain form the light was so great it kept her in place. She could feel her strength failing and her sprit weakening.

 _"GO BACK TO THE DARKNESS FROM ONCE YOU CAAAAMEEEE!"_ Ozpin shouted as he unleashed the full power form his cane.

Salem tried to enter Ozpin's mind in an attempt to stop him, but entering his mind backfired, on both of them. Salem was hit by feedback as Ozpin's pain transferred into her, while Ozpin was given a glimps into Salem's minds and plans for a split second. He saw flashes and images; he saw another ruined fortress, it was familiar to him, and the fortress was inside of a canyon with red sandstone and brown grass. He also saw a man with red hair and horns on his head, wearing a black outfit and a sword.

They both kneeled to the pain of Salem's failed attack. Salem moved her hand away from her face to reveal to the others that it was partially burned by Ozpin's light. _"_ _ **Something is very wrong, I did not see this outcome.**_ _"_ Salem hissed towards Ozpin like a cat. " **You may have beaten me here…** " Her voice was somewhat raspy, " **But soon the Arc boy will be mine, and Remnant will soon follow.** "

She could feel that her spirit was about to fall into the shadow realm again, like it did when she was originally killed. She would rather see no tomorrow than fall into that void again. She turned to Hades and absorbed all the power she had put into him when she first appointed him as her Necromancer. She then flew off into the distant clouds, with all her Nazgul behind her.

"No! Don't go!" Hades shouted in sadness, he then turned to the hunters with rage in his eyes, "You bastards, what have you done?!" Hades shouted in anger, then he waved his hands at them, but nothing happened. "What the? What's going on? Where are my shadows?"

"Your power is gone. Salem took it all back when she fled." Ozpin said he fell back; luckily for him, Radagast and Glynda were there to break his fall.

All the other hunters started to slowly walk towards the now powerless Hades. Hades looked at them all with fear in his eyes; he reached for the stolen sword on his belt and pulled on it. The sword wouldn't come out of its sheath, as if it was glued to it.

"Don't bother." Kida said as she walked towards Hades with pure rage in her eyes, "Only the aura of a Star Knight can unsheathe that sword… And you are far from having any."

All the others hunters in the room immediately stopped moving towards Hades when they heard Kida's voice. This was the man who killed her husband in cold blood; this is her fight, her kill.

Hades backed up and tripped on rocks behind him and fell to the ground, he began to cower in fear of the blue huntress as she stood over him. She raised her spear high, Hades put his hands over his face, and then he heard the pear came down and cracked the ground beneath him. Hades opened his eyes to see that Kida's spear cut the belt that held the sword off of Hade's waist. Using the curved blade as a hook, Kida raised the sword up from the ground and took it in her hands.

Kida held the sword in her left hand, while her arm was still in the straps of her shield. Hades looked up at Kida with fear in his eyes, "You're not going to kill me?"

"I am going to kill you…" Kida said in a serious voice, "But how I kill you will depend on your answer to my question…" Kida said as she raised her spear, pointing it towards his chest. "When you killed my husband, did he suffer?"

Hades remembered that he did the same thing to Jonah as she is about to do to him. _"I remember him screaming before the end. If I tell her that, she'll do the same to me!"_ "No, he didn't." He said with the best possible truthful voice he could muster.

Kida's eyes turned to anger and disappointment; she then stabbed Hades through the chest and electrified the spear as it plunged into his heart. Hades screamed in pain before he was disintegrated by the lightning. His ashes blew into the wind like dust.

Everyone behind her remained quiet as to what just happened. Glynda looked disgusted up until Qrow said, "He was lying." Kida turned to them and nodded in agreement to Qrow.

Glynda's face turned from disgust to shock, "How did you know?"

"Before I reached you guys, I found Jonah's body…" Kida said with a bitter voice, "I looked at the stab wound in his chest… The placement of the stab was meant to make him suffer before he died." Kida turned around to the dark forest that Salem had retreated.

Taiyang had nothing to say, he would have done the same thing to the one who took Summer from him. Raven was no stranger to execution, normally she would only consider her executions as justified, but this one seamed as justified as any of hers. Radagast never liked death, main reason why he tries to stay out of war all together, but he felt that Kida was in the right for this death.

Radagast let Glynda hold Ozpin as he made his way to Kida and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, let's bring Jonah home."

* * *

(Radagast's house)

Radagast lead the hunters back to his house where they laid Ozpin on Radagast's bed. Ozpin was out cold, but he appeared to be healing now that he was out of that dark place.

"He should be fine." Radagast said to Glynda as she was sitting next to Ozpin. "He just needs rest."

Glynda took Ozpin's hand in hers and kissed it. She then stood up and walked out of the room and exited the house to see the others outside.

Glynda saw Qrow near Radagast's horse stables. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I need to get to Beacon. They need to be warned." Qrow said as he limped over to where Radagast kept the saddles.

"Qrow, you can bearly walk. Stay here and stay with Ozpin. I will go to Beacon and warn them." Glynda said as she placed her hand on Qrow's chest before he could walk over to the horse.

"She's right, Qrow. Stay here and finish recovering." Radagast suggested.

Qrow looked to them both then sighed in defeat, "Be careful."

"You know I will." Glynda said as she took the saddle out of Qrow's hands and placed it on the horse he was going to use. Glynda walked the horse out of the stable and walked over to where the rest of the group was.

Taiyang was helping Kida to move the wrapped body of Jonah Arc to the back of his truck. Glynda walked up to Kida, "What will you do now?"

"Take him home…" Kida said as she rested her hand over his head for a few seconds, a few tears dripped from her face, but then she took a deep breath and faced Glynda. "I have to inform our children of what happened… Then I will be calling in a few favors." Kida finished with a serious voice. "If what Qrow says is true, that Beacon is in danger, then they are going to need all the help they can get."

Glynda nodded in agreement, she then turned to Taiyang and Raven, "What about you too?"

Taiyang spoke first, "Well, I was planning to help Kida take Jonah home. After that, maybe call in a few favors of my own."

"If you don't mind, may I join you?" Raven asked. Taiyang looked to her, at first he showed sadness, but then it was relief. He nodded with a half-smile.

Glynda mounted the horse and was prepared to ride out, but she was stopped by Kida before she could. "Glynda. When you get there, and you find my son… Bring him home." Kida said with sadness. She just lost her husband, and the last thing she needs now is to lose a son too.

Glynda slowly nodded, "I'll try. I promise." Glynda finished as she bucked the horse and rode off to Beacon.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder was sitting on her glass throne; she could see, form her new view, all the people of Lake Town move into Vale.

"Of course they would go there." Cinder said with an unamused voice.

"Well, that city will become their tomb, that's for sure." Adam said with a serious voice.

"Maybe if you didn't let your anger get the better of you, you might actually achieve your original goal." Locus said with an annoyed voice.

Adam turend to Locus, drawing his sword half way, "What was that?"

Locus reached for his pistol in response to Adam's threatening posture. Cinder slowly stood up and stood between them, "Now, now, there is no need for there to be infighting."

Adam was about to complain about Locus but was cut off when they all heard a scroll ring. Cinder looked to the scroll that was sitting on the right arm of the throne with shock in her eyes. Cinder remembered what her mistress last said to her, **_"The next time I contact you, it will be a time of war."_**

Cinder picked up the scroll and answered it, "Hello?"

" **Hello, my disciple. Are you alone?** " Asked the dark voice on the other end.

"No." Cinder said.

" **Good. Place the scroll on the ground and step away from it.** "

Cinder placed the scroll facing up and took a few steps back. The moment she backed away, all three shadows of Cinder, Adam and Locus converged on the scroll, then a figure slowly raised form the darkness. Salem stood in the center of the room.

Cinder kneeled instantly to her mistress. Adam sheathed his sword and bowed to Salem. Locus had seen his fair share of strange things, but this tops them all; he honestly didn't know what to do but holster his weapon and back a few more steps away.

Salem turned, looking at each of them at least once before stopping at Cinder, " **Rise.** "

Cinder rose and looked her mistress in the eye, "Is it time for war?"

" **Almost, my friend. There has been a minor setback.** " Salem said.

"What kind of 'setback'?" Locus asked.

Salem turned to him with an unamused look on her face; Locus couldn't help but feel a small chill come up his back, and a little bit of regret for asking that question. " **The Necromancer is dead. But, that won't halt our plans.** " Salem turned towards Adam. " **Adam Taurus, I want you to return to your friends in Mount Gundabad, and call forth all your warriors. The battle that is to come will require all our strength.** "

Adam bowed to Salem, "It will be done." After bowing he left the room.

Salem turned back to Locus, " **Locus, you and your 'Shadow Troopers' will remain here and guard this tower.** "

"As you wish." Locus said.

Salem then turned to Cinder and held her hand out to her, " **My dear…** "

Cinder raised her hands to Salem's; Salem gripped Cinder's hands, " **I have seen another glimpse into our destiny… Your forces will attack the enemy in force, and Arc will remain hidden inside Beacon.** "

"Then I will kill him?" Cinder asked with a little bit of hope.

" **No. I want him to join the Nazgul. His power is too useful to simply kill him.** " Salem said with a more wisdom look on her face.

"Something tells me he won't agree to such an arrangement." Cinder said with a skeptical look on her face.

" **That is why you have Nikos.** " Salem said. Cinder was a little caught off guard to such a suggestion, " **Even if you can't turn Nikos, Arc will do** ** _anything_** **you say if it means he can be with her again.** "

Cinder gave a frown, she obviously wanted to kill them both for all the trouble they caused her, but what her mistress says goes. "Very well. How will I know when to use her?"

" **You will know.** " Salem then formed a new bracelet over Cinder's right arm, " **This will give you control over my armies when they arrive. And here is a little more power as a reward for your loyalty.** " Salem then wrapped Cinder in shadows; the shadows almost looked like they were being absorbed by Cinder's body. " **This should be more than enough for you to succeed.** "

Salem then let Cinder go and disappeared into nothing. Locus walked over to Cinder, "What should we do if Arc _does_ come out to fight during the battle?"

"That will not happen." Cinder says as she is walking away from Locus, "My mistress has never predicted wrong."

* * *

 **AN: SO, what did you guys think of this chapter?**

 **Please Review your thoughts on how I modified this story and how I added Kida into it.**

 **Please R &R**

 **ARKOS! (** **For old time's sake. ;)** **)**


	22. Second Thoughts and Mistrust

**Second Thoughts and Mistrust**

* * *

 **AN: Now that we have the Dol Guldur part out of the way, we will move on to how Jaune and the rest of the company are doing at Beacon.**

 **Sorry it took a while to write it, I had a hard decision to make for this story and it took a lot of brain power to put it together correctly and to not make it sound weird.**

* * *

(Lake Town survivor convoy)

The company that helped the survivors helped as best they could. Or, they helped as best as they were allowed to. Some of the people saw the hunters as the cause for their home's destruction. But people like Wash, Junior and the Red platoon, know better.

Winter used the Bullhead to take the elderly, wounded, and supplies to Vale while everyone else traveled by whatever land vehicles that still worked.

Luckily the Reds were able to salvage a few good armored vehicles and troop transports from the town before it was too late.

Blake, Yang and Sun were in the same armored truck, similar model to the _Grizzly_ but older, that Wash and his kids were in as well. Yang was sitting shotgun while the others were in the back.

Wash was driving, and from where he could see, Vale looked like a mess. "I honestly don't know how were going to bring this city back to life… It'll take a fortune to get it back on its feet."

"Well, I know where to find such fortune." Yang said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"When we went underneath Beacon, we discovered it was once a large fortress, and there was a MASSIVE treasure chamber" Yang said as she opened her arms out wide.

"How 'massive'?" Sun asked with a smile.

Blake slapped him upside the head, "Sun."

"What? I was kidding… But seriously, how big?" Sun asked.

Yang looked to Wash and smiled, "More than enough to get both Vale and Beacon back on their feet."

Wash started to feel hopeful again, "Well, I guess there's a chance after all."

* * *

(Beacon)

Jaune was in the main computer room on the tower, looking at the view from the windows. Weiss was still at the computer console, she was looking though some files that may be of use to them, but didn't find anything valuable. Velvet was up there as well, trying to help bring more of the systems to the tower online from one of the servers. Weiss then caught something that made her smile a little.

"Hey, guys. Look at this." Weiss said as she pointed to her screen.

Velvet and Jaune walked up to Weiss' screen and saw what she was referring to.

"I was looking through some of the Prof. Ozpin's files and found something." Weiss said.

What she pointed to was a file labeled 'graduation bell'.

"Oh, I remember hearing that bell." Velvet said, "After my first year, the seniors of my class got a cool farewell ring from Beacon's tower."

"Too bad we didn't get a chance to hear it." Jaune said with a half-smile.

"We could." Velvet said as she was about to press the button, but her arm was caught by Weiss.

"Are you crazy? If the bell is as powerful as you describe, it could be sent out for any Grimm in the area to hear." Weiss said.

"She's right. We aren't ready for another attack." Jaune then realized their primary problem for their defense. He walked over to the window and looked at the broken gate. He then saw an Atlas Moblie Barracks. _"It must have been left behind when they evacuated."_

"Velvet, are you done here? I need you down on the ground." Jaune asked as he walked over to the elevator.

"Sure." Velvet said as she walked in behind him.

"I'll be here if anyone needs me." Weiss said as she waved them off.

* * *

Once they reached the ground floor, they were greeted by Neptune. "Hey guys."

"Oh, good, Neptune. Come with us." Jaune said as he passed Neptune.

Once they were outside the tower, Jaune walked them over to the mobile-barracks. "I want you two to look through anything and see if you can find anything useful: bullets, weapons, mechs, ect."

"Sure." Velvet said, Neptune nodded in agreement and began looking through the Atlas equipment.

Jaune then walked over to where the front gate used to be. Smaug practically threw the giant doors off their hinges when he busted out of here. The doors were made of stone and rebar, twenty feet tall and were as four inches thick.

Jaune looked at the walls and saw that they were still intact, for the most part. They could fix the gate if they could bring the doors back up and fixed the hinges.

Jaune then turned around and made his way to his old dorm, he felt something pull him there.

* * *

When Jaune reached his old dorm room, Ren and Nora were already in the room, looking through their old stuff. They weren't allowed to take anything with them when they were evacuated; everything that they owned while they were at Beacon was still there.

Jaune walked into the room, when he did, Ren and Nora stopped moving all together. Jaune walked over to his old bed, he then walked to his nightstand and saw an old picture of the whole team. It was taken by Velvet on the first day of tournament.

Jaune picked it up and blew the dust off the glass. He looked directly at the woman to his left in the picture. He could tell that he was nervous when the picture was taken, but the others were happy, excited and ready to fight. When he looked at how Pyrrha was holding onto his shoulder, he could tell that feelings she had for him were already there, he was just too focused on Weiss to see them. Tears started welling up in his eyes and drip down on the glass frame.

Jaune put the frame back on the table and started walking out of the room with nothing to say. Ren and Nora didn't know what to say to him, they felt that if they said anything it might make things worse for him.

When Jaune exited the room, he saw that Ruby was inside her old room; she was sitting at her old desk, and was looking down on something.

"What's that?" Jaune asked as he walked up to her.

Ruby looked up and smiled, she lifted her hand up to Jaune to reveal an acorn.

"An acorn?" Jaune asked in confusion.

"I picked it up a few back in Beorn and Merida's garden." Ruby said with a smile.

"You brought it all the way here? Why?" Jaune asked with a small smile.

"Well, I planned to plant one here and another back home, near my mother's grave." Ruby said as she looked down on it.

"Not much of a prize to take home." Jaune said.

"Well one day it'll grow to be a tree, and every time I look at it I'll remember… Remember everything that happened; the good, the bad… And how lucky I am that I made it back." Ruby said with a smile.

Jaune's smile started to grow, "You have a spare? I may do the same when I go home."

Ruby smiled with joy as she reached into her pouch on her side and pulled out another acorn and placed it in Jaune's hand.

Jaune lifted the acorn at eye level and looked at it, "This is going to be one hell of a story to tell someday."

Ruby wanted to continue with their conversation but was interrupted by Velvet, who was running up to them.

"Jaune. The survivors of Lake Town are reaching Vale. It looks like the others are doing well too." Velvet said with a smile.

Jaune felt overjoyed by the news, but then Felix walked up to Jaune and made his smile vanish. "How much you want to bet the Reds haven't already informed Ironwood about Smaug's death? It's only a matter of time before he brings his whole occupation force here and takes whatever he wants. Might I suggest you fix the gate?" Felix said from behind.

Jaune gave a concerned look on his face; he felt that Ironwood wouldn't do something like that. But before he could protest, Felix waved his hand over Jaune, giving him another small portion of power.

Jaune suddenly started to feel what he would call 'good'. He felt a little stronger, and more receptive to what Felix was saying. But then he started to feel aggravated. "I want everyone at the front gate, now." Jaune said as he walked past Velvet.

* * *

(Beacon, Front Gate)

Everyone formed up at the gate and looked out to see Vale in the distance.

Jaune looked to Velvet, "What was the status of that Atlas equipment I asked you to check out?"

"There are a few working Atlas 'construction-bot's, each with their own 'how to drive' manuals." Velvet said with a smile. "Oh, and there is an ammunition store that has more than enough for the whole company."

"Ok, let's use those bot and fix the main gate." Jaune said as he pointed at the gate.

Velvet and Neptune both then entered the construction bots and got them working. They then began work on repairing the gate.

Jaune looked to the sky and saw that there were clouds covering the sky. It was winter time, and clouds at this time of year only meant one thing, snow. And judging by the size of the clouds, there was going to be a lot of it.

"I want the gate repaired by midnight." Jaune said as he was pulling out his scroll to call Yang.

"What's the big rush? The people of Lake Town have nothing." Neptune said though the construction mech's speakers. "They are here because they need help, they lost everything to Smaug."

Jaune turned to Neptune in the mech, he looked irritated, "This isn't about them, it's about Atlas."

"Atlas? What's wrong with Atlas?" Weiss asked with a little bit of a challenging tone.

Jaune looked to Weiss with an agitated look in his eye, "Well let's see; Atlas brought their armies here and they ended up getting hacked and attacked Vale, when Vale fell they put up a wall and blocked off the country to its capital, and to top it all off they didn't do anything about Smaug for the past two years, and we took him down in two days." Jaune finished with his arms crossed, "And now that Smaug is gone, they'll most likely send in an occupation force to seize Vale and Beacon."

"That's not true, General Ironwood wouldn't do that." Penny said in defense of her general.

"Penny I understand that you believe that, but I don't want to risk it." Jaune said with an honest look on his face.

Everyone then saw that Jaune was only preparing for 'Worst-Case-Scenario', they could understand. After what the general did back at the wall, it did seem possible that would happen. So they continued to work on the gate.

Jaune then opened his scroll and called Yang.

"Yang, It's Jaune."

 _"Sweet! You got the tower working agin! How are things there?"_

"We're ok. Look, I want everyone to come back here."

 _"Ok, we'll fly over there in a sec."_

Just as Jaune was about to end the call, Felix made another appearance. "You know, I wouldn't trust that Atlas woman if I were you. She was Ironwood's second, who's to say that she hasn't been working for him since she got here?"

Jaune started to feel a little suspicious about Winter, _"Maybe he's right."_ "Yang, I'm sending Ren in the _Grizzly_. Tell Witner to stay there for the time being."

Weiss looked at Jaune as he said that, "What? Why"

Jaune couldn't answer her as he was still talking to Yang on the scroll.

 _"Are you sure? We could use the plane."_

"Atlas could on their way here already; we need to be ready for them. Tell Winter to stay there in case they do show up." Jaune lied.

 _"Ok, we'll be waiting."_ Yang sounded confused by what Jaune wanted but she did feel that he had a point, so she went along with it.

"Why do you _really_ want Winter to stay there? I thought you trusted her." Weiss asked with her arms crossed.

"Well I don't know your sister; she hasn't earned my trust yet." Jaune said with an irritated voice.

"She helped us to kill Smaug and helped in the fight against the White Fang. Why do you not trust her?" Weiss asked in anger.

"Ironwood locked us up like we were criminals and she didn't do anything to stop it; you tell me!" Jaune said with an aggravated voice.

Everyone was stunned by Jaune's outburst, he'd never yelled at anyone like that before, let alone Weiss. Jaune looked around to see that everyone was staring at him. He sigh, "Look, after everything that we've been through to get here, I don't want to risk losing everything again. And possibly losing it to Atlas."

"But Atlas isn't the bad guy here, Jaune." Ruby said.

"No, but they had a hand, unwilling or otherwise, in the Fall of Beacon. And I don't want to risk anything that we aren't prepared for." Jaune said in an apologetic manner.

Jaune then looked to Ren; he didn't need to say anything, he only nodded and ran to the _Grizzly_ , started it up and drove towards Lake Town.

Everyone then continued to work on the wall once Ren was clear of the gate. Jaune walked over to one of the gate's hinges and started to help the others to fix it.

Ruby stood next to Jaune as he was working on the gate and whispered to him, "I hope you're wrong."

"So do I." Jaune whispered back.

* * *

(City of Vale)

As the vehicles reached the perimeter of Vale, they moved towards the 'City Hall' building, where Winter has been dropping off her passengers.

Once everyone disembarked form their vehicles, they all looked around in awe of the dusty, ruined city that was once beautiful and full of life.

Wash exited his truck and walked over to Junior and Sarge as they were looking over maps to Vale.

"Our first order of business is to set up City Hall as our refuge." Junior said.

"We'll need to clear it out first. Make sure there aren't any hazards for our people." Wash suggested.

Sarge nodded in agreement, he then started making calls on his radio to the platoon on how they want to set up the building.

As they were talking over their plans Yang and the rest of the group were helping people down form the big transport trucks. Coco looked over the stockpiles of ammo and food rations, judging by the look on her face, it didn't look good.

Coco walked up to Yang, "Hey, Yang, we have a problem."

Just before Yang could say anything, her scroll started to go off, "Well, I guess they got the tower working again." Yang said with a smile as she pulled out her scroll to answer.

"What's this I hear about a problem?" Wash asked as he approached Coco. Yang had two walk away so that she could talk on her scroll and hear whoever was on the line more clearly.

"Our food rations are low, we have enough to last us maybe four more days, depending on how much we consume, but that's it." Coco said with a sad look on her face.

"Well, Sarge sent out a distress call to Atlas, I'm sure they'll be here soon to help us." Wash said with a confident look on his face.

Coco didn't seem as joyful at the thought of Atlas coming here, not after what they put the company though at the Wall.

Yang walked back to Coco and Wash, "Jaune wants us back to Beacon, now."

"Did he say why?" Coco asked.

"He just said we need to get back there now, he said Atlas may be here soon and we need to be ready." Yang said with confused look on her face.

"Ready for Atlas? Why?" Wash asked.

"He didn't say. But after what they put us through back at the wall, I'm not surprised." Yang said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, he's your leader, you better get going." Wash said as he patted Coco on the shoulder. Coco and Yang both looked concerned about leaving them, Wash was quick to see their concern, "Don't worry, we'll be fine for the time being. You guys can go." Wash said as he waved them off.

Coco and Yang both gave him a thankful smile and nodded.

Yang walked up to Winter as she was helping the people unload the Bullhead. "Winter, we are heading to Beacon."

"Ok, we'll be wheels up in a few minutes." Winter said as she was about to walk into the cockpit.

"Actually, Jaune said that you have to stay here." Yang said with a little bit of guilt in her voice.

"Why?" Winter asked in confusion.

"Jaune thinks Atlas will be here soon, and he wants you to be here when they do." Yang said.

"He doesn't trust me." Winter said with a sad tone.

"Look, I don't know why… But I'm sure he has his reasons." Yang said as she laid her hand on Winter's shoulder.

"I appreciate the comfort, but it's ok. I'll stay here to help how I can. Tell my sister I said to be careful." Winter said with a somewhat sad smile.

Yang nodded, she then exited the plane and met up with the others. They gathered their group and waited until _Grizzly_ arrived. Ren switched out with Yatsu while the rest jumped in the back. They all then rode off back to Beacon.

* * *

(Beacon Front Gate)

The Grizzly arrived and went through the gate just as they finished repairing the hinges on the walls. Yatsu parked the Grizzly just a few feet away from the gate.

"What's the status of the people?" Jaune asked.

Coco walked up to Jaune first, "Well, I did a head count. Out of what was originally a population of 5,000 there at least 3,000 left."

Jaune felt sadness that the town had lost so many lives to Smaug. He turned towards the open gate, eyes full of sadness. He shut his eyes, clinched his hands tight and lowered his head as he cursed himself, "Damn it."

"It would have been a lot worse if they hadn't prepared like you suggested. You saved more lives by telling them to be ready to evacuate." Blake said as she walked up to Jaune and rested her hand on his shoulder to help ease his pain.

Jaune lifted his head and nodded in agreement, and gave Blake a thankful smile.

"So, what's next Jaune?" Yang asked as she walked up to Jaune and the rest of the group that stayed behind.

Jaune first cleared his throat then spoke with his normal voice. "Velvet found bullets we can use in that 'mobile-barracks', load up on whatever you need." Jaune said as he pointed to the barracks. "After that, we need to fix some of these walls, that way we will be ready."

"For what?" Fox asked.

"Hopefully, nothing." Jaune said with a nervous look on his face.

Yang's group walked over to the mobile-barracks to reload and gather ammo, while Jaune climbed to the top of the walls and looked over the courtyard.

Ruby climbed up after him and stood next to him. "Hey, Jaune? Whatever happened to the Arkenstone? I didn't see what happened to it after we killed Smaug."

Felix appeared right behind Jaune; before Jaune said anything, Felix waved his hand over Jaune again. "I put it back in the caves." Jaune lied. "After the fight, I through it into the pit that Smaug made when he broke through the bedrock." Jaune wanted to tell Ruby the truth, but then a feeling came over him, making him feel like telling her would be a mistake.

"Oh." Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that Jaune wasn't being honest with her. "You think that's what the general is really after?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. Regardless of that, he'll still want to take Beacon and Vale." Jaune said.

"What makes you so sure?" Ruby asked with honest curiosity.

"Atlas and Vale have had bad blood before; wouldn't be surprised if they try anything with Vale in its current predicament." Jaune said with a serious look on his face.

She wouldn't press the matter any further, but she wouldn't look over the feeling of dishonesty Jaune gave off when she asked about the Arkenstone.

Night fall came quickly, and clouds covered the sky, blocking out the moon and the stars. Snowflakes began to fall; Ruby held out her hand and caught one. "Looks like it's going to snow tonight."

 _"And it might just give us the time we need."_ Jaune thought as he looked at his scroll. His sister didn't respond to his message yet. Either she hasn't looked at her scroll yet, or the message hasn't reached her yet. All he could do now is wait and hope she gets it in time.

* * *

(Spire Dungeons)

Pyrrha was sitting in on her bed, thinking over what had just happened the other night. For the first time in the weeks since she had woken up, she had hope again.

 _"He killed the dragon… He might just be able to beat Cinder."_ Pyrrha could only sit there, put her legs up to her chest and hug her legs.

She could hear someone approaching; the two guards turned to who arrived. "You two can go; I would like to speak to her alone." Said the woman who arrived.

Pyrrha lifted her head to see the guards leave, and see that it was Emerald who told them to go. Pyrrha lowered her head back down as she asked; "Want to try a new torture method?"

"That's not why I'm here… Cinder doesn't even know I'm talking to you." Emerald said as she leaned her left arm against the bars to Pyrrha's cell.

"Then why are you here?" Pyrrha asked.

"I don't know really…" Emerald said with a little bit of sadness in her voice. She turned and leaned her back against the bars and sat down next to the cage. "When Cinder first recruited me I was alone, starving and scared. She found me when I was stealing a few jewels I was going to sell for food." Emerald said as she slowly looked to Pyrrha, "She offered me a way out… to live. In exchange, I had to fight for her."

"You must be living the high life then." Pyrrha said with slight anger in her voice.

"Thing is… I should be, but all I feel is sadness and regret." Emerald said.

Pyrrha was shocked to hear her say that. Her shock quickly turned to anger, "I don't believe you… You have everything a thief like you could ever want: money, power and more. What could someone as cold hearted as you feel regret for?!"

"The Fall of Beacon." Emerald said with sadness in her voice.

Pyrrha's anger was quenched when she heard what Emerald said. "What do you mean?"

"I knew what we were up to… I knew what our plan was… I KNEW what was going to happen to the city because of us… But seeing it first hand and in person… It was painful." Emerald said with regret welling up at her throat. She swallowed, and then continued. "After that, I tried to brush it off with all that we had accomplished. We had a kingdom on the run, and Cinder became the Fall Maiden."

Pyrrha could hear that Emerald was getting sad again; she stood up and walked over to the bars and sat down with her back to the bars. "And then Lake Town was attacked by Smaug."

"Their screams… It was just like the Fall of Beacon all over again. I couldn't watch it so I left when nobody was looking." Emerald said as she curled up, hugged her legs, and started to shiver.

"So you're starting to have second thoughts?" Pyrrha asked.

"More or less." Emerald said as she stood up slowly, Pyrrha did the same so that they'd be face to face. "When the time comes, I'll try to help you escape."

"Why are you doing this?" Pyrrha asked with a serious voice.

"I want to survive. And if Cinder's master gets what she wants, there won't be a world left to live in." Emerald said with a serious voice of her own.

Pyrrha's eyes widened at the thought.

Emerald walked away, leaving a shocked Pyrrha in her cell. Emerald walked past the guards, "You too can go back to your duties."

Just as Emerald reached the elevator, the door opened and Mercury walked out, "Hey, you ok?" Mercury noticed that Emerald looked a little shaken up.

Emerald looked to Mercury with a half-smile, "Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

(City of Vale)

Daybreak came fast. The first up were the Red platoon, they gathered all the food and passed it out to the people to eat their 'breakfast'. Wash was one of the first ones up. He walked along Simmons as they were walking through city hall.

"Wash, we don't have enough food." Simmons said as he was looking at the food ration list that they had.

"Women, children, elderly, and wounded come first." Wash said.

Sarge walked up to Wash and Simmons, "We're running low on water."

"Do what you can, guys." Wash said as he past the mayor and walked up to the front gate to meet up with who was on the night shift.

Wash was unsurprised to find that the only soldier he asked to take watch at night was sound asleep. Wash kicked the orange armored soldier's foot and said, "Morning, Grif, any news on the night watch?"

Grif jumped at first when Wash kicked him, but when he saw it was Wash he relaxed. He then slowly stood up as Wash asked him the question. "All quiet, didn't hear a thing. Nothing gets past me, sheriff."

Wash rolled his eyes and exited the building to find that Grif was dead wrong, "Except the army of Atlas." Winter followed Wash out and was surprised to find what he discovered

The moment they walked outside the building, all the Atlisan knights and Atlas foot soldiers saw them; they turned towards him and stood at attention.

Wash and Winter slowly walked down the steps of City hall; once he was a few feet away from the Atlisan knights, a section of them split and made a path for him to walk through. Wash was at first stunned by the machine's reaction to him, but he then walked down the path they made.

Once he walked through he walked out to the street to see multiple armored Atlisan military vehicles arrive. Many of them being troop carriers and Paladin transport trucks. An armored truck drove up to Wash; it stopped right in front of him, and out came General Ironwood himself.

"General Ironwood." Winter saluted the general, "I was not expecting you to come too." Winter couldn't help but feel nervous as to what the general would do to her after she left the wall.

"When I got your distress call, I came with everything we could spare." Ironwood said as he looked down the street to show that more vehicles were arriving.

The next dozen trucks that pulled up were supply trucks; some were full of food stores in crates, while large water tank trucks pulled up.

The people inside the main hall, and all the other buildings in the surrounding area came out to get the food. Atlas soldiers and workers helped share the boxes of food while other soldiers poured water from the large tanks into portable gallons to be used inside.

Wash couldn't help but be overjoyed by the arrival of much needed supplies. Junior came out and had a very happy look on his face. He ran next to Wash and greeted General Ironwood. "General, it's good to see you. You just saved what was left of our town."

Wash's children ran up to him with excitement in their eyes of food and fresh water. He gave them all a hug, and then turned to Ironwood. "I don't know how to thank you." Wash said with a very relaxed and thankful voice.

"Apologies, Sheriff Washington, but I am not here just to help your people. I am also here to ensure the security of the Arkenstone." Ironwood said with a very serious look in his eyes.

* * *

General Ironwood ordered his troops to set up a Forward Operating Base (FOB) inside Vale. The troopers were getting ready, Atlisan Knights recharging, and Paladins being booted up and ready for combat.

General Ironwood and Winter were in the newly set up 'war room', Wash walked in and protested the general's decision. "You can't do this. You would go to war over an old legend?"

"That _legend_ is known to be the cause of the Great War, and ensuring that it is locked away and/or destroyed is top priority." Ironwood said with a very cold and serious voice.

"You don't have to go to war over this!" Wash said in anger.

"War is not my intention. However I intend to us this force as a means to make Jaune Arc yield." Ironwood said in a coldly manner.

"Let me speak to Jaune. He will listen to me." Wash suggested; after everything Jaune and his company did for his people, he would jump at the chance to help them.

"Do you really think you could reason with him?" Ironwood asked in a way that normally meant he didn't believe him.

"To avoid war, of course." Wash said.

"I agree, general. Jaune is not completely without reason. I've seen it myself." Winter said.

Ironwood looked to Winter, he had conflicting feelings on her leaving the wall, but he was willing to put them aside for this moment. "If you think you can convince him to stand down, by all means."

Wash nodded a thank you and left the room. Winter and Ironwood were left alone in the room.

Ironwood turned towards the coffee maker and poured two cups. "Did your 'time away' have a good outcome?" Ironwood asked.

Winter was worried about what to say, she didn't know if it was a trick question or him being honest. "I believe my decision saved more lives than there would have been lost if I hadn't."

"From what I hear from the Reds, I agree." Ironwood turned towards Winter and handed her a cup of coffee while he drank his own. "However, next time you make a decision like that, I would like you to inform me first."

"Yes, sir." Winter said with a guilty voice.

"How is your sister?" Ironwood asked as he walked towards the desk.

"She's ok. And so is Lieutenant Polendina." Winter felt it was only right to add in Penny.

"Good. I was worried that we had lost our best asset." Ironwood said as he looked over the map that showed the grass planes between Beacon and Vale.

He then placed markers that represented soldiers on the battlefield, similar to how war maps were made way back then. Several markers with the symbol of Atlas were placed over the City of Vale. While a signle marker was placed over Beacon. And then to the Forever Fall forest, he placed a marker that was shaped like the Spire.

"If we can convince Jaune to stand down, we can take the Spire by tomorrow." Ironwood said. "But if he refuses, we will have to march on Beacon."

"Why? Jaune is a good man, and a great leader. I've seen it myself." Winter said, "He and Ruby Rose were the ones whom killed Smaug."

"I understand why you trust them. But I do not." Ironwood then turned to Winter, "I don't want a war any more than you do, but it must be done to ensure that another Great War doesn't start."

* * *

(Beacon)

Most of the company was awake already. When Nora went to the gate to check out Vale, she freaked out.  
"GUYS! ATLAS IS HERE!" Nora shouted as she jumped off the wall and ran towards the company's camp sight inside the Main hall of Beacon.

Jaune didn't even say anything; he just ran past Nora and ran to the gate. Everyone else ran after him to see the same thing.

From the gates, they could see the Atlas military trucks. The troops could be seen at the edge of the city as they were watching over the outer walls.

Jaune looked to the courtyard and grassy planes between Vale and Beacon and smiled. _"Just as I thought, the snow storm covered the landscape; they'll never get an army here until it melts away."_

And he was right, the snow cover spanned all the way to Vale, and the snow appeared so thick that if a Paladin were to walk in it, it could trip over something and not even see it. Not even General Ironwood would risk his men to the snow.

Everyone then saw something coming their way; it appeared to be a man on a snowmobile. Ruby pulled out her weapon and set it to sniper rifle mode; she looked down the scope and saw that it was Wash who was coming. "It's Wash."

Wash rode up to the front gate and disembarked form the vehicle. The snow went up to his knees. Wash looked up to the company that stood above the large gate. "Hello, everyone. Glad to see that you're all ok."

"If you don't mind me asking Wash, why is Atlas out there armed for war?" Jaune asked. Everyone around him felt that he was being harsh for asking, but they felt that he had a right to ask.

"Why do you lock yourself in Beacon as if you're at war?" Wash asked.

"Because I'm expecting to be attacked." Jaune spat back.

"Jaune, they're not here to attack. In fact, General Ironwood himself is here. He wants to take the 'Arkenstone' into custody." Wash said.

"The Arkenstone is where it belongs. He has no right to it." Jaune lied.

"This isn't about who has a right to it, this is about the safety of our country." Wash said, "Jaune, from one warrior to another, talk to me."

Jaune felt conflicted by Wash's offer, but then he accepted it as he nodded to him. Jaune then slid down the latter that brought him to the ground. Jaune then opened a small window in the wall that allowed him to look Wash face to face.

"I'm listening." Jaune said with a hazy voice.

"General Ironwood wants to take the Arkenstone, nothing more. The people of Lake Town also need the gold below Beacon in order to restore the city." Wash said.

"One thing I can agree with you on is that the gold is to be used to restore Vale _and_ Beacon. But I am not going to give the general anything. He has no right to anything on Vale soil, on _our_ soil." Jaune couldn't emphasize that word enough.

"General Ironwood was given the status as protector of Vale by the council. He has the right to take the Arkenstone if it means the safety of Vale and the rest of the world." Wash said.

"Oh, yes. The 'council', the same people whom abandoned our capital and gave up on the academy the moment the Grimm showed up. Those stupid bureaucrats don't deserve to sit on any form of power." Jaune said as he turned away from Wash and leaned his back against the gate, still close to the window to hear Wash.

"I can agree with you on that. But that won't stop Ironwood from doing what he came here to do." Wash stated. "You can't stand up to him. He has an army, and you have only 9 hunters. Think of your friends here and your family back home waiting for you to come back."

Jaune started to feel that Wash was right; this was a fight they couldn't win. Even if they were to fight, Atlas would roll right over them. Jaune was about to give in to Wash, but then he felt his scroll vibrate.

Jaune pulled up the scroll and read the message that was sent to him:

 **"Jaune, thank god you're ok! I am on my way now, and I'm bringing everything we could spare! We'll be there by sunup. Carol."**

Once he finished reading the message, a small smile grew on his face. A smile that actualy made the others feel uneasy, "I wish you and your family well, David Washington. When the battle begins, I hope you know which side to fight for."

"Jaune—" Wash was about to question what he meant but was cut off when the window closed.

"Better get going and pass on my decision!" Jaune shouted over the wall.

Wash punched the wall in frustration; he then walked over to the snowmobile and turned it on. He looked back up at the gate, looking at all the hunters whom were still on top of it. "I wish you all good fortune." Wash then revved the engine and rode back to Vale.

* * *

Everyone formed up at the top of the gate and watched as Wash rode off.

"HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?!" Weiss shouted in both anger and frustration. "You can't go to war with Atlas!"

"Well, we just did." Jaune said with a cold voice.

"Jaune we are just 9 people; there is an army of around 5 to 6,000 out there. Including a few thousand angry fishermen. We're outnumbered." Weiss said with frustration.

"Not for long." Jaune said as he looked out to Vale.

Everyone looked to Jaune in confusion. "What does that mean?" Yang asked.

Jaune turned around and gave them a somewhat devious smile, "It means you should never underestimate our people. I called in my sister, and she's bringing help, they'll be here tomorrow morning."

Everyone started to feel a little worried, even with reinforcements coming, they weren't sure they would win anyway.

Jaune looked to Vale, "We have reclaimed Beacon… Now, we defend it."

* * *

(City of Vale)

Wash arrived at the gate where Ironwood and Winter were waiting for him. Wash rode up to them and disembarked.

"How did it go?" Winter asked.

"He will not open the gates. He says the stone is where it belongs and refuses to stand down to you." Wash said to Ironwood.

"Well, at least you tried." Ironwood said with a cold voice.

"Did he say why?" Winter asked with worry in her voice; she became worried for her sister's wellbeing.

"He thinks he's in the right not to open the doors." Wash said as he turned back around to Beacon, he couldn't help but shake his head in denial, "I don't get it… A few days ago he wasn't like this. Something is wrong with him."

"Then it is as I feared. The Arkenstone has already taken a hold over him. He will soon succumb to the same madness that made the Mad King." Ironwood said with an unsurprised voice. "When it comes to madness like that, there is only one way to deal with such a man." Ironwood said as he rested his hand on his pistol as it sits in its holster.

Winter felt sad and worried. Her sister may be a huntress but she's no soldier, she has never been a battle where both sides were human. From Winter's experience, it can be quite horrific and brutal.

"We will march on them tomorrow morning." Ironwood said as he turned towards the city, as he was walking away he asked Wash, "Will you stand with us, or not?"

Wash turned back to Beacon, he couldn't help but feel sorry for what would come next, _"I'm sorry, Jaune."_

* * *

 **AN: (Sigh) Sorry guys that it took so long. The weekend was busy like crazy for me. And this part of the story was harder to write than I had originally predicted.**

 **I hope you guys are on board with my idea for Emerald.**  
 **I developed the idea after reading a few new Fanfics that had her feel remorseful and sorry for her involvement, as well as a few images I saw on Deviant Art. (To be completely honest, I don't remember the name of the picture.)**

 **Please review and give me your feedback on my story, reading your reviews somewhat motivates me.** **;)**


	23. The Night Before A Battle

**The Night Before A Battle**

* * *

 **AN: Here is a new World of Remnant story.  
This one is more about the military standpoint that Star Knights have in their kingdoms.**

 **Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

 ** _Sky Knights:_**

Sky Knights are warriors that follow only the Star Knights of their country. They are selected by the Star Knight himself, or the Sky Knight General.

In the early generations of the Star Knights, they normally fought alongside the army of the kingdom they lived in. In the old days, Sky knights were originally the Star Knight's bodyguards.

Normally Star Knights were free to go where they wanted, but the armies of their kingdom followed only their leaders instead of the Knights. The only people Star Knights had command over were Sky Knights. And generation's later; the armies of darkness grew bigger and bolder than before, the Star Knights knew where they needed to be, but didn't have the man power to support them.

All the Star Knights came to an agreement that it was best to have their own personal armies. That was when the Sky Knights were changed into armies instead of just bodyguards.

The way a Sky Knight is recruited is simple:  
The knights are handpicked to be recruited, only the best of their country are recruited, no one asks to join, they get asked. **(Like GI Joe.)**  
They follow the orders of either the Star Knight himself or their Sky Knight General.  
They must be loyal to their kingdom and must not be afraid to speak up if they feel that they are a part of something morally wrong. **(Such as wiping out an innocent village for no clear reason)**

Sky Knight Generals normally were the 'second son' of the Star Knight family or any other kind of relative. Reason being, all the Star Knight's families are born gifted with natural leadership skills. However there were a few times where a Sky Knight General was not a relative and had great skills as a leader, but they are rare.

When Joan Arc proved that a woman could be a Star Knight, it opened the recruitment for women into the Sky Knights. After that, the Sky Knights army population grew twice its size.

While Sky Knights themselves are the most skilled from their country, they are also granted the best weaponry and technology their country can provide; such as tanks, mechs and experimental firearms.

With The Sky Knights becoming big enough to have separate branches, it was abundantly clear that each country basicly had two armies.

 **Vale** : The **Vale Military** and the **Sky Knights of Vale**.

 **Atlas** : The **Altesian Military** and the **Sky Knights of Atlas**.

 **Vacuo** : The **Vacuo Military** and the **Sky Knights of Vacuo**.

 **Mistral** : The **Mistral Military** and the **Sky Knights of Mistral**.

* * *

 **Hope you guys found that informative.**

 **Now, on to the story!**

* * *

(City of Vale)

While Atlas was unloading all their supplies and weapons from the transport trucks, Wash put in a request for Atlas to allow them to share their weaponry with the newly formed Lake Town Militia.

Wash thought by having Lake Town's people there would dissuade Jaune from attacking. He hated making the decision, but if it would stop bloodshed, then it would be worth a try.

Ironwood accepted Wash's request and allowed small arms and rifles to the Lake Town Militia, even a few heavy weapons to those who were qualified to use them.

* * *

(Beacon)

The company went into the old locker room to where they used to get ready for combat in their Academy days. They began to suite up in their battle armor they wore when they first began their journey.

Jaune was armoring up and found his old locker. He walked up to it and opened it. When it opened he found that there was another set of armor that resembled his old armor, only difference however was that it was a little bit larger than the original. _"That's right; I had a larger set made in the event I hit a growth spirt during school."_ He hit that growth spirt alright, but he felt wearing this old thing was a waist.

He then found something else in the locker, something he'd never thought he'd see again. He picked up a shirt of metal rings and held it up to his chest. It was too small for him. _"Ah, the armor I'm already wearing is fine. But maybe someone else could still use this."_

Jaune looked to the others as they were getting ready. They looked uneasy, some even looked nervous.

Felix appeared right next to Jaune, he had his back against the locker and his arms crossed. "They look scared. Understandable… I mean, take it from someone who's been in battle before. The day before a battle is never easy to handle."

Jaune looked to him and nodded in agreement. Felix then uncrossed his arms and leaned in towards Jaune, "I don't trust your friends."

Jaune looked to him in confusion. He was about to say something but stopped himself since the others were in ear's range of him. Jaune left the locker room to talk to Felix in private.

As Ruby was putting on her armor, she saw Jaune leave. He didn't look too happy, she felt that it was best to comfort him in a situation like this so she followed him.

When Jaune reached an empty room he turned towards Felix. "What the hell are you talking about? My friends are the reason I'm standing here now."

Ruby was around the corner and heard Jaune talking. When she reached the corner she peaked to see that Jaune was alone.

"I understand that, Jaune. But you can never be too sure. Especially those two form Atlas." Felix said with his arms crossed.

"Weiss and Penny? What about them? Weiss is the reason we found the caves and Penny helped us escape from Atlas' prison." Jaune said in his friend's defense.

 _"Who is he talking to?"_ Ruby thought to herself.

"That may be true, but for all you know they could have been just following orders." Felix said.

Jaune turned away from Felix in frustration, "NO! I don't want to believe that."

Felix waved his hand over Jaune again; Jaune then relaxed, his body stood up straight, and Jaune's face relaxed. "But then again you may be right." Jaune said as if he came to a realization.

Pyrrha appeared right in front of Jaune, her face was of fear and sadness. "Jaune, no. Don't think like that! Weiss is your friend, she would never do that."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha with anger and hostility in his eyes, "Really, Pyrrha? You're going to defend her?!"

 _"He thinks he's talking to Pyrrha?"_ Ruby thought to herself in fear. She knew that Jaune never recovered from losing her, but to hallucinate about her was something she didn't expect.

"Ever since we met, she's treated me like trash. She shot me down every time I talked to her, and she has always been rude to me. Betraying me would practically be second nature to her." Jaune said with anger and frustration. He then walked away from Pyrrha and made his way back to the locker room.

Ruby saw that Jaune was turning towards her, so she moved back and sprinted back to the locker room so that he wouldn't see that she was watching him.

Felix and Pyrrha were both standing right where Jaune had left them, they stared each other down.

"You know, you're really getting annoying, princess." Felix said with his arms crossed.

"What are you doing to him?" Pyrrha asked with anger.

Felix lifted his shoulders up, "All I'm doing is helping him gain a little back bone. He had been pushed around for how long by that white haired brat? Bout time he stood up to her, if you ask me."

"How are you controlling him like that? He's doing things he'd normally never do!" Pyrrha said in anger.

"The power I give him makes him a _little_ susceptible to my suggestion." Felix said as he put his hand up and pinched his index finger with his thumb. "And if you ask me, I've been giving him better advice than you."

Pyrrha looked at Felix with anger, her fists clenched. Felix chuckled a little when he passed her.

* * *

Ruby managed to reach the inside of the locker room and catch her breath before Jaune entered.

"Hey, Ruby. Come here for a second." Jaune said in his normal voice.

Ruby walked over to Jaune, she took a few breaths to calm herself down before she reached him.

"You ok?" Jaune asked, Ruby looked more pail than usual.

"Oh, I'm fine." Ruby said with a normal smile. "What's that?" Ruby asked as she pointed to the metal shirt in Jaune's hand.

"This is for you. It's not my size any more, but I think it'll fit you fine." Jaune said as he held it up between them. "It's called 'Mithril'. It's made out of a special metal that only can be found in the mountains of Vert. Carol gave it to me as a birthday present form one of her tours."

Ruby unclipped her armor and put the metal ringed shirt on. It fit perfectly, not too tight and not too loses, but it did feel a little tight in the chest region for obvious reasons. "It feels great."

"People say Mithril is five times harder than steel, and a fifth the weight. It's one of the rarest metals on our planet and worth its price." Jaune said with a half-smile.

"Thank you." Ruby said as she put her armor back on.

"I already lost one close friend… I don't want to lose another." Jaune said as he looked down. He then looked up at Ruby with a serious face as he said, "I also did it because I know I can trust you the most."

Jaune took Ruby out of the locker room so that they could speak without being eavesdropped. "Ruby, I think we're going to be betrayed."

"Betrayed?" Ruby felt bad deceiving Jaune that she already knew what he was going to say, but to keep him from getting any angrier she played along. _"Maybe I can turn him away from it."_

"Weiss." Jaune said plainly. "She's from Atlas… She may betray us when the army gets here. I can feel it."

"Jaune… We came here to free Beacon, but you haven't fulfilled what you set out to do. Cinder is our enemy, not Ironwood, not Weiss." Ruby said with a serious look.

"The pieces are too conveniently placed Ruby. Atlas stands guard during the festival only to be the reason why Beacon and Vale fell. Then when they built the wall, they never tried to take back the city afterwards." Jaune said with anger in his eyes.

"Jaune, please… We liberated Beacon and Vale and we saved the people of Lake Town… Isn't that enough?" Ruby asked.

Jaune took a step back from Ruby, he looked furious and irritated. "I lost my kingdom… Atlas helped take it away from me. **I will not let anyone take t form me again**."

In that last sentence, Ruby almost thought she heard Smaug's voice come out of Jaune's mouth. And for a split second she thought she saw a small orange glow come out of Jaune's left eye, same kind of orange glow that a Grimm's eyes had.

Ruby took a step back; her eyes showed that she was horrified to see what was happening to Jaune. Ruby wanted to say something more but was cut off when the company walked past them, armed to the teeth and ready for war. Jaune turned to them and followed them out of the building.

Ruby felt a very big chill run up her spine. She then noticed, just before he left, that the crack in Jaune's left front pocket was glowing. The same glow she saw the Arkenstone had when it was on Smaug's head. _"He still has the Arkenstone… And it's corrupting him."_

* * *

(Radagast's house)

Ozpin sat straight up and shouted. "JAUNE! AAAH!" He yelled out in pain.

Qrow and Radagast were right with Ozpin, "Easy, your body hasn't fully recovered." Radagast said when he helped Ozpin lye back down.

Ozpin looked to Qrow, "Qrow, you need to warn them."

"About what?" Qrow looked confused.

"Salem tried to get into my mind to hurt me, but it back fired. I looked into her mind and saw something. She has another army; it was in a red sandstone canyon, inside another grotesque fortress." Ozpin said.

"Mount Gundabad…" Qrow said. He remembered reading about Mount Gundabad in history class. It was inside a canyon that was called Blood Gulch, where it was said that two armies that only could be recognized as red and blue fought for five years before both side left joined forces against the Grimm.

"What does she have there?" Radagast asked.

"The army of the White Fang. I think I also saw Adam Taurus leading them." Ozpin said.

"We need to warn them." Qrow said as he stood up fast. Thanks to his aura, he was able to make a rapid recovery. Before he was stopped, Ozpin called out to him.

"Qrow, wait. Take this." Ozpin said as he picked up Jonah's sword. "This needs to get to Jaune… This sword is the only weapon that can help him to defeat Cinder."

Qrow took it into his hands and nodded.

"Wait, you'll need a horse." Radagast said as he ran to his horse pen and pulled out a mustang. "Here, good luck."

"Thanks. Take care of him." Qrow said as he rode off.

* * *

(Atlas FOB/City of Vale)

Glynda rode into town. The guards at the perimeter recognized her and let her in without stopping her. She rode into town square and was disgusted by what she saw; Atlas troops patrolling the streets and Lake Town survivors shooting target dummies with Atlas grade weapons.

 _"They're getting ready for war!"_ Glynda thought as she disembarked form her horse. She walked to one of the first men she saw and asked, "Who's in charge here?"

"Who's asking?" A man asked from behind.

Glynda turned to see Wash standing behind her. "Glynda Goodwitch."

* * *

Glynda and Wash walked over to Ironwood's war room. Winter and Ironwood were going over how they wanted to set up the troop lines in the event of a battle, Winter felt a battle was unlikely to happen but continued none the less.

Glynda and Wash walked in on them; Glynda was the first to speak. "You all must set aside your personal agendas and listen, please."

Winter looked to Glynda, while Ironwood looked to her with his arms crossed, "Very well."

"War is upon us. The Necromancer of Dol Guldur has unleashed an army of Grimm." Glynda said.

"How many?" Wash asked.

"Qrow said he saw thousands. Maybe 10,000." Glynda said.

"Qrow told you this? How would he know?" Ironwood asked.

"He said he saw it. And I believe him." Glynda said with a serious look on her face.

"What about that Necromancer?" Winter asked.

"He's dead. And we found Ozpin." Glynda added.

"Ozpin's alive?" Ironwood asked with shock. "Where is he?"

"He's ok. Badly wounded and weak. He's staying at Radagast's hose right now, along with Qrow." Glynda said.

"Ten thousand Grimm, how could the Necromancer have been able to gather so many?" Winter asked.

"He wasn't alone. The 'enemy' is gathering her full strength and has unleashed it on us." Glynda said with a serious voice.

Wash may not have been a part of the inner circle, but he knew what the 'enemy' was. So when he heard Glynda mention 'her' a chill ran down his spine.

"Why is 'she' showing her hand now?" Ironwood asked in confusion.

"Because we forced her!" Glynda almost yelled. "We forced her when Jaune set out to take back Beacon and kill Cinder." Glynda then walked up to the hollo-map in the center of the room; she zoomed out of what they were looking at and showed the whole country of Vale.

"She planned to have Jaune killed before he could reach Beacon. She wants Beacon and Vale for their strategic position." She then pointed to where Beacon was, then to Dol Guldur and to a third point on the map, somewhere farther north.

"She already had a force in Dol Guldur, which we rooted out, but she'll put more there later. If she takes Beacon, all she would need is Mount Gundabad and she would have access to the whole kingdom. All the surviving villages and cities would be vulnerable to coordinated attacks. And if Vale falls, it'll only be the beginning." Glynda finished with a stern look at Ironwood.

"If all that is true, where is the army?" Ironwood asked.

"What?" Glynda asked in confusion.

"We haven't detected any Grimm along the borders of the wall, and the wall hasn't contacted us about any Grimm coming their way." Ironwood said with a confident look. "If there was an army coming our way we'd knew before they'd be in plain sight."

Glynda almost looked shocked that they haven't detected any Grimm whatsoever. _"What is going on?"_

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Mercury and Cinder were sitting on the top floor. Mercury projected the movement of the Grimm armies, and showed that they had already passed the wall, form underground.

"So this is live?" Cinder asked.

"Yup." Mercury said with a smile.

"And they don't see this?" Cinder asked.

"Nope. Their scopes show nothing, but what they'll feel it. And the way those Ground Dwellers dig it'll only feel like a small ground quake." Mercury said with a confident smile.

"They won't know what's coming until it's already on top of them." Cinder said with a devious smile. "Now all we need to assure our victory will be Adam bringing in his forces."

Emerald heard every word from behind. She walked over to the elevator and pressed the bottom level.

* * *

Emerald exited the elevator and walked up to Pyrrha's cell. She looked to the guards and said, "You two take a break."

They didn't hesitate to take an early break, and left Emerald alone with Pyrrha.

"What's happening now?" Pyrrha asked.

"Ironwood is here and he brought an army. Arc and his company are bunkered down in Beacon. From the way it looks, your leader is getting ready for war with Atlas." Emerald said.

"What? Why would he do that?" Pyrrha said in disbelief.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that Cinder is planning to have an army of Grimm attack them at the same time as they attack each other. And to top it all off, the White Fang are coming here with an army too." Emerald said.

"I need to get out of here. I need to get to Jaune and stop all of this." Pyrrha said as she ran up to the bars and gripped them tight. "If I can get to him, we can unite all the good armies and fight against the Grimm and White Fang together."

"Everyone is on edge now that Atlas is here. And they've double the security after your last escape attempt. Sneaking you out would be impossible, even with my powers. We'll have to do it during the battle, while everyone is distracted." Emerald suggested.

"If that's what you think is best… then fine." Pyrrha said as she loosened her grip on the bars.

Emerald then gave Pyrrha a thankful look and walked away. When Emerald reached the elevator she heard a familiar voice come from her left.

"I've noticed that you've been talking to Nikos lately." Emerald looked to find Locus standing there with his arms crossed. "Mind telling me what you two talk about?"

"None of your damn business, mercenary." Emerald hissed at Locus.

Just as she was reaching for the elevator button, Locus grabbed her wrist, "The only reason why I was hired was because I was the best at what I do; do you really want to agitate me?"

"And I'm the one who has the power to put scary images in your head if you agitate me. So let go." Emerald said with a cold voice.

Locus let her go, but he still had his eyes on her right up until the elevator door closed between them.

* * *

(Mount Gundabad)

Adam and his group rode into the fortress. They were greeted by their people and cheered on. Adam ran to the man in charge. It was a rhino Faunus.

"I want everyone ready to move out in two hours, we're leaving." Adam said.

"Are we found?" the rhino Faunus asked.

"Actualy the opposite." Adam said as he turend to the White Fang who were around him, he grabbed the intercom and spoke. _"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, hear me!"_

Everyone in the fortress stopped what they were doing and listened.

 _"For too long we were treated like trash by the humans."_

The people around Adam nodded in agreement.

 _"For years we were forced into work force camps against our will. Humanity has pushed us around and treated us like animals!"_

The men and women yelled in agreement to that.

 _"Now, it's our time to push back!"_

The people began to cheer.

 _"Sure, there are those who think we're going too far… Well I say they're TRAITORS! They are too quick to forget what we've been through and deserve to die like all the rest!"_

A lot of the people cheered in agreement, but there were a few who felt that was wrong. Some even looked like realized that they chose the wrong side. Adam continued his speech.

 _"Follow me, and together we shall take the City of Vale as our own! Proving that not only that we are strong, but that we are superior to humans! Vale will be our city, our country! And WE will be the masters in our own home!"_

The White Fang cheered by the hundreds, they sounded ready for a fight.

 _"Now get ready for war!"_

All the White Fang in the fortress gathered their weapons and formed military lines. They gathered and formed a well-organized army and marched out of Mount Gundabad. Some of the men were even chanting as they marched.

Adam rode at the Vanguard with his bike; he rode slowly to stay with his army. _"Now it's time to see who is truly the strongest in this world."_

* * *

(Beacon)

The day went by too quick for Ruby. It was already night time. She walked over to the front gate, she looked down to see that the snow had mostly melted away, enough for her to walk on and not get caught in it.

 _"I need to stop this before it's too late."_ Ruby looked around to see if there was a large enough pile of snow so that she could land softly.

"You should be sleeping." Ruby froze; she turned to see that it was Ren who was standing behind her.

Ruby relaxed, "Shouldn't you be with Nora?"

"It's my time for night watch." Ren said as he walked towards her, "Atlas has already moved their sentries into positon."

Ruby looked to see that he was right; there were snipers all along the walls and buildings that were close enough to the walls.

"The battle will be over before noon, I bet." Ren said.

Ruby had the same idea. "I thought so too."

"Ruby I know that you feel the same way I do… Something is wrong with Jaune." Ren said plainly.

She looked to him with shock. "You knew?"

"Not at first. The reason why I never showed it was because I wasn't sure. But now that I know that you feel the same, I know that I was right." Ren said. "Do you really think you can convince Ironwood to stand down?"

"I am willing to try." Ruby said.

"Then you'll need my help to get to him." Said another voice from below.

They both looked down to see Penny jump up to them and land between them. "They'll never let you through the gates. But I can get you in."

Ruby smiled and nodded.

"You two be careful. Although we both agree that there is something wrong with Jaune, I don't fully trust Atlas either." Ren looked to Penny, "No offence."

Penny smiled, "None taken." Penny then looked to Ruby and held out her hand. Ruby took Penny's hand and they both jumped off the wall. They both then sprinted towards the city; Ruby using her semblance speed and Penny running with her robotically enhanced legs.

* * *

(Atlas FOB/ City of Vale)

"Since when has my opinion not mean so little to you?" Glynda asked with irritation in her voice. "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"I think you're only doing this because Jaune is the son of your fallen leader." Ironwood said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "What happened to Jonah is a tragedy, I don't deny that. But what Jaune is doing has no excuse."

Glynda scoffed to what Ironwood said. Ironwood turned towards her, with honest eyes, "I admire your loyalty to your friend and understand that you only want what's best for his family, but this has to be done."

Glynda looked to him, she didn't say anything, and there was nothing she could say.

"If we don't do this, we'll have a Black Knight on our hands. And there isn't a Maiden in Vale who can stop him. And if he falls to darkness, then nobody can stop Cinder Fall." Ironwood said with a cold and serious look in his eyes.

"You and Qrow started this, Glynda. Forgive me if I finish it." Ironwood said with a cold voice. He then turned to Winter, "Are our sentries in position?"

"Yes. All snipers are at the ready and turrets online." Winter said.

"Good. If anything moves out there, or anyone tries to leave Beacon, shoot them." Ironwood said. Glynda looked to the floor in sadness and anger. "Jaune is out of time." Ironwood said with a serious voice.

Glynda looked to Wash as he was standing near the Lake Town Militia, "Wash! Don't do this. Jaune is on your side. Is the gold below the mountain really worth bloodshed?"

Wash had already told her the reason why Lake Town was in the middle of all this. But he felt it was right to tell her what he really wanted. "There won't be a fight. I'm bringing our people to show Jaune that we're on the same side. He won't fire on us."

"Yes he will. And he won't give up on Beacon without a fight." Said a girl that was behind them.

They both turned to find Ruby and Penny standing there. "Ruby Rose." Glynda said with a hopeful smile.

* * *

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the reason why the company escaped the wall." Ironwood said as he looked Penny in the eye.

Penny stood tall and saluted, "Yes, general, I am." She sounded both nervous and just. She knew she would get in trouble for what she had done, but now was not the time for that.

"What Penny did isn't why we're here. We're here to warn you." Ruby cut Ironwood's gaze off from Penny. Ruby started to feel uneasy when Ironwood's gaze shot at her like spears.

"Warn us of what?" Wash asked.

"Something is wrong with Jaune. He has the Arkenstone and its messing with his mind." Ruby said.

"How do you know?" Glynda asked.

"He's not acting like himself. He's more aggressive, and paranoid. He actually thought Weiss would betray us at some point." Ruby said with sadness.

"Then it is true. The Arkenstone has corrupted his mind. We are too late." Ironwood said.

"What do you mean too late? We can break it out of it, can't we?" Ruby asked. She looked to Glynda and Ironwood repeatedly for an answer.

"The only person who ever held the stone went mad… and started the Great War between the four kingdoms. I'm afraid, Ms. Rose, your friend is beyond our help." Ironwood said as he turned away from her.

"What, you're not going to even try to help?!" Ruby demanded an answer but the general did not say anything.

Ruby looked to Wash, he looked as sad as she, "Ruby, I'm sorry. But the general may be right."

"You already spoke to him; you know he's still in there. You know we can save him." Ruby pleaded.

"I don't know who I spoke to at Beacon, Ruby. But that wasn't the same Jaune I met when you first arrived." Wash said as he exited the war room.

Ruby looked to Winter, and she had nothing to say but showed a sad look on her face. Ruby began to feel that coming there was a mistake. "And I thought you guys wanted what was best for us all." Ruby said with a disappointed tone.

Glynda put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and gestured Ruby to follow her. Penny was about to follow but was stopped by Ironwood when he spoke to her. "Stay there."

Ruby stopped and looked at Penny. Penny waved off to Ruby, "I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

Ruby nervously nodded and left. Leaving Penny with Winter and Ironwood.

"Major Schnee has informed me of your actions after you assisted Arc and his company's escape." Ironwood said as he stood in front of his desk, having his hands behind his back.

Penny walked up to him and stood at attention. Winter stood to the left side of Penny, she felt fearful of what would happen next.

"Under normal circumstances, you would be court-martialed and detained pending a hearing for your crimes." Ironwood said with a cold voice. "But due to your assistance in defeating the dragon Smaug, I am willing to drop your charges."

Penny then relaxed, "Thank you, general."

"However I will not be so generous if you disobey me again. Understood?" Ironwood asked.

Penny saluted, "Yes, general."

"Good. You two are dismissed." Ironwood said without another word.

* * *

"I want you well rested, and out of here on the next transport." Glynda said as she and Ruby were walking through the empty street.

"I'm not leaving. You recruited me to go on this mission… And you were the one who suggested having Jaune join us!" Ruby pointed out.

"But I didn't want him to be the leader!" Glynda almost shouted. She was irritated and heartbroken to the revelation of what's happening to Jaune. She had come all this way to save him, now she learned that he is already too far gone.

"I'm not afraid of Jaune." Ruby said with a serious voice. "He's like a brother to me; I know he won't hurt me!"

Glynda turned to Ruby, "You should be afraid of him."

Ruby was caught off guard by Glynda's forwardness. "Ruby, you don't understand. The last time the Arkenstone drove someone mad it started the Great War, and it only corrupted a king. Now it has corrupted a Star Knight… It will turn him into a Black Knight and make him into a monster before you know it."

"What's a Black Knight?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"It's what happens if a Star Knight breaks their vows and succumbs to their darkness." Glynda said.

"How is it corrupting him?" Ruby asked.

"Form what the legend could tell, the stone intensifies your inner darkness. You know of the seven deadly sins right?" Glynda asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Well, when it corrupted the Vale's king, it enhanced his lust. For Jaune, it appears it's enhancing his wrath." Glynda said.

Ruby turned away, she started to pace back and forth, fast. She finally stopped and looked at Glynda, "So you're just going to give up on him?"

"I don't want to give up on him any more than you do!" Glynda said with a sympathetic tone. "But he's too far gone."

"He'll be too far gone if everyone gives up on him." Ruby said with a serious voice.

Penny walked up to the two huntresses, "Ruby, I found a room you can stay in for the night."

Ruby looked to Penny and nodded. Ruby passed Glynda, not before giving her an angry glare, and walked with Penny to the room she found.

Glynda then turned towards the sight of Beacon's tower, _"I'm sorry, Kida. But there's nothing we can do for him now."_

* * *

Penny led Ruby into the room she found. It was small but the bed was large enough for her.

When Ruby walked in she stared pacing fast. "I don't want to believe it Penny… Everyone is talking about Jaune as if he was already dead."

"We'll figure it out." Penny said to try to calm Ruby.

Ruby stopped to turn to Penny, "How did it go with the general?"

"He let me off after helping you defeats Smaug." Penny said with a small smile.

"That's… surprisingly generous of him." Ruby said in a shocked face. "My uncle always said that the general was a heartless jerk."

"He isn't around me." Penny said as she sat down on the bed in the room.

"Why?" Ruby asked as she sat down next to her.

"It's because he and my father were close friends… They were like brothers to one another." Penny said with a half-smile, but had sadness in her eyes.

"Were?" Ruby asked.

"My father passed away 9 months ago." Penny said calmly.

"Penny… I'm so sorry. I know how it feels to lose a parent." Ruby said as she hugged Penny.

Penny smiled and accepted the hug, "Thank you."

"What happened?" Ruby asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"He got cancer." Penny said with a sad tone, "In his will, he wanted me to join the military and serve under the general. Mr. Ironwood kept me close ever since."

"So, he cares about you…" Ruby guessed.

"Well, there are times he looks at me the same way he would my father, like a close friend." Penny said with a small smile. Her smile then vanished when she finished, "But then there are times when he looks at me like I was just another solider."

Ruby was about to say something but was cut off when Penny stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow with breakfast. Good night Ruby."

"Good night Penny." Ruby said with a smile.

Right before Penny walked out the door she said one last thing to Ruby before leaving, "You're right to not lose hope in Jaune… I think there is still a chance to save him."

After Penny left; Ruby felt that Penny was right, and that she might have to risk everything if she were to get the old Jaune back.

* * *

 **AN: WOOOW!**  
 **I honestly didn't think I would finish this chapter so early.**  
 **I guess it's because school is coming up.** **:(**

 **For me, school starts up on the 29th so I won't be able to write as often as I want.**  
 **I'll try to finish this story soon, I promise.**

 **Please Review on what you thought of this chapter!**  
 **Have hope for Jaune!**


	24. A Star Falls

**A Star Falls**

* * *

 **AN: Here we are… And so it begins.**

 **Please forgive me if I have anything in here that may seem too farfetched or impossible, but then again, it's RWBY and Hobbit, anything is possible.**

 **Also, to fill in military vehicle roles in the battle, I will be including Halo human vehicles only. I own nothing that is from Halo.**

 **For those who haven't already seen it, I updated the previous chapter to this one with one last scene that I forgot to put in. Forgive me for not putting it in the first time.**

* * *

(Beacon, front gate)

Everyone was wearing the armor they wore on the day the met up with Jaune back at the Shire:

Weiss had armor around her legs and her chest. She found a small ammo belt that could hold more dust rounds and wore it around her waist, just above the skirt.

Blake had an armor plate covering her chest and belly as well as armor shins and forearms. Blake's weapon was over her shoulder, locked and loaded.

Yang was able to find some small armor plates that could cover over her chest, shoulders and calves. To her luck, they were all gold colored so that they would match her weapons. She also added a pair of brown steel towed combat boots to her wardrobe for this battle.

Coco still kept her hat and glasses. She had armor around her left arm as a means to shield her when she uses her mini-gun.

Fox's jacket had armor plates over his chest and forearm, right under his arm blades. And his legs had small armor plates around his shins. He found some steel towed combat boots to add to his protection.

Velvet's new had stronger armor plates in the same places as the old one, and her hollow-pack. Her armored shoes wrapped around her whole foot for more strength in her kicks.

Yatsuhashi got a new set of armor around his left arm. His blade was still over his right shoulder.

Sun and Neptune changed their outfits as well.

Sun still wore shorts but he had a thin Kevlar vest underneath his open shirt, and steel towed sneakers.

Neptune had a red jacket with armor plates over his fore arms and chest. He also wore steel toed boots.

Ren had armor over his chest, forearms, shins and metal boots. He had enough armor to be protected, and enough to not weaken his mobility.

Nora had an armor plate over her chest and over her forearms and shins. She had a grenade belt on her back, which was attached to her weapon.

Jaune was wearing armor plates of both his armor and some Atlas grade armor that he salvaged from the barracks.

Everyone was ready; or rather, ready as they made themselves look to be. They were all scared, even Jaune. They've been in battles before; they've been in battles since they left Patch. But nothing could compare to fighting an army of humans.

* * *

(Spire Fortress/ Top level)

Pyrrha was dragged out of her cell by her guards, given a black jacket and pushed into the elevator. Once the elevator door opened, she was walked to the same balcony she saw Smaug's battle. On her way there, she noticed that her old shield mounted over Cinder's glass 'throne'. _"Her way of mocking me, I bet."_

When Pyrrha reached the balcony, she was greeted by Cinder, Emerald, Mercury and Locus; they looked ready for a fight.

Locus was in his full armor, even had his helmet on.

Mercury had armor plates all down his legs and armor over his body. His arms had the same armor on them form his normal attire.

Emerald only had armor on her forearms. The rest of her outfit was her normal attire.

Cinder had a mix between her old attire and Locus'. She had on her red dust shirt underneath black armor plates that covered her chest, belly, legs and arms. She even sported high heels with her anklet wrapped around her right leg over the armor.

Cinder turned to see Pyrrha walk up to them. Cinder smiled, "You're just in time…" Cinder then turned to the sight of the Atlesian military marching on Beacon. "The show is about to begin." She said with a devious smile.

 _"Oh, god. What is happening?"_ Pyrrha though with fear and sadness overtaking her.

* * *

(Beacon front gate) 

"Where are Ruby and Penny?" Jaune asked with a slightly agitated and worried voice.

Everyone looked around to find that they weren't there. Ren spoke up before anyone could say anything, "They're in the barracks. Said something about getting new armor for Penny."

"Oh." Jaune said with a relaxed voice. "We're going need all the strength we have for this fight." He whispered to himself.

* * *

(City of Vale)

Penny walked into the room that she found for Ruby; in her hands she had a bowl of soup. "Ruby I got you breakfa-"

Penny was stopped mid-sentence to find that Ruby wasn't in the room. Her weapon was gone as well. "Oh, no." Penny said with fear in her eyes.

She dropped the bowl and sprinted out of the room, there was only one person she knew could help.

* * *

(Beacon Front gate)

Form the gate, Jaune assessed the situation with his military-keened mind. The Atlas forces numbered in around 6,000; 4 thousand being regular infantry while the other two were Atlesian knight robots. He also counted forty Paladins, and half of them with mortar cannons mounted on their backs.

Lake Town's militia numbered at around 2 and a half thousand. They stood tall, and some looked ready for a fight, while others looked too nervous to stand.

Ironwood and Wash walked up to the front gate as representatives to their forces. Jaune walked over to the edge of the gate and drew his pistol. Jaune then fired a high-ex round, filled with the new power Felix gave him and blasted the ground a few feet in front of them.

The explosion made a loud bag that frightened most of the solders while also making a hole as wide as a car tire. "Next one goes in your head, Ironwood."

Everyone else on the gates readied their long-range weapons and pointed them towards the army.

At the same time, Ironwood waved his arm and signaled his forces. The Atlisan knights aimed their weapons at the gate and stood at the ready.

Everyone at the gate backed off instantly, all except Jaune. He stood there, staring at Ironwood.

Wash looked to the general, "I thought we agreed that nobody had to die?"

Ironwood looked to Wash for a brief second then nodded. He then lowered his hand and called off his troops.

"Jaune Arc, by my right as the 'Acting Protector of Vale', granted to me by Vale's council, I hear by demand that you surrender." Ironwood said with his formal voice. "By doing this you will prevent any unnecessary loss of life to Atlas and the lives of your company."

"You have my word that General Ironwood will not over step his position, Jaune." Wash added, in the hopes to ease Jaune's rage.

"We will also do what we can to aid you in your recovery." Ironwood finished as he put his arms behind his back.

"Recovery? Recovery from what?" Jaune asked with confusion and anger.

"From your contact with the Arkenstone. It is clear that it has begun to corrupt you; corrupt you to the point that you would start a war. It's making you break your vows as a Star Knight before you've even made them yet." Ironwood said with an arrogant tone.

Everyone looked to Jaune for a response. Jaune started to feel uneasy, almost fearful. "I don't have the Arkenstone… It's beneath Beacon, where it belongs! He's lying!"

"They know the truth Jaune." Ruby said form behind.

Everyone turned to see Ruby standing on the wall behind them. Face was that of sadness, "I saw its light shine out of your pocket the other night… I know you have it."

Ironwood and Wash were both shocked to find that Ruby was back on the other side of the wall. Jaune looked to her; he looked like someone just stabbed him in the back and left the blade there.

"I didn't want to tell them… I didn't want to believe that you were being corrupted… But…" Ruby sounded upset.

"But what?" Jaune asked in an angry tone.

"You're not yourself, Jaune! The man I met on my first day at Beacon would never want to go to war, or even doubt the loyalty of his friends!" Ruby spoke with anger this time.

Jaune scoffed and turned away from Ruby in anger. But what she said next almost broke his heart again.

"I know you see Pyrrha, Jaune! And if she were here now she'd be disgusted to what you've become!" Ruby shouted with anger and sadness.

Jaune turned to Ruby, eyes full of rage, and a little bit of an orange glow inside the pupils. Jaune charged at Ruby, knocking anyone in between them aside and grabbing her by the throat with his left hand.

While everyone was too shocked to move, Yang tried to get Jaune to let go of Ruby, but ended up getting elbowed in the chest, hard. Yang collapsed, Jaune's elbow knocked the wind out of her.

Ruby could see what looked like black roots run up Jaune's face from behind his ears and up his neck. The orange glow started to turn red and glow brighter.

Jaune then lifted Ruby up and pushed her against the wall. Jaune drew his pistol and pointed it at Ruby's chin, " **YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK OF HER!** " Jaune started to sound like Smaug again, this time everyone could hear it. " **YOU LET HER DIE!** "

His rage was in overdrive; his reasoning was practically out the door. His mind was in chaos, he couldn't think straight. Rage filled his mind as if it was flooding his brain with it.

Just as Jaune's finger squeezed the trigger, he heard a shout. "JAUNE!" Then he saw two arms push his hand away from Ruby's chin just before the pistol went off. Jaune looked to who the arms belonged to and saw Pyrrha there, tears dripping from her eyes.

It was then that Jaune had snapped out of his rage frenzy. His eyes went back to normal; he looked down to see Ruby below him and backed off. Ruby started coughing from being choked; she sat down on the floor, with the wall to her back.

Ruby looked up to see that Jaune had was afraid, just by looking at the horror in his eyes she could tell that he wasn't in control.

Jaune looked down and saw Ruby coughing; he even dropped his pistol, he looked mortified to what just happened. It was almost like a waking nightmare for him.

"Jaune! What have you done?!" A voice shouted from the army outside the gate.

Everyone looked to find Glynda and Penny running to the front of the army. "Is Ruby ok?" Penny asked.

"She's fine." Nora said as she was helping her to stand.

Jaune was frozen stiff. His mind was all over the place. _"What did I just do? What is happening to me? Why did I do that? Why did I say that?"_ Right before Jaune was about to apologize, Felix gave Jaune another boost of power.

Jaune's doubt went away in an instant; he almost looked as though what he did was justified. He then walked to the gate and saw Glynda and Penny standing next to Ironwood and Wash.

"Glynda Goodwitch... What are you doing here?" Jaune asked with an arrogant tone.

"You aren't doing a very good job as a Star Knight, Jaune. And you're being a poor huntsman too. It appears you didn't learn anything during your time at the academy." Glynda lectured him.

"You weren't the best teacher either." Jaune spat back.

"ENOUGH!" Wash shouted. "End this now! Will you have peace or war, Jaune?"

* * *

Yang quickly recovered from being elbowed in the gut, she wanted to repay Jaune but was stopped by Blake. Blake pulled her while Weiss took Ruby. Ren lead them to where Ruby had entered and helped them to leave.

Just before Weiss took Ruby threw, Ruby stopped and talked to Ren. "What about you guys?"

"We'll stay here. Make sure Jaune doesn't make anything worse." Ren said with a sad voice.

Ruby grabbed Ren's shoulder and looked him in the eye, "He's in there… Don't give up on him." Ren nodded and motioned them to go.

* * *

Jaune looked to the army again, then to his company, and they didn't look like they wanted to fight anymore. He was alone.

Jaune was about to surrender until he felt his scroll vibrate. He pulled it out and read the message:

 **"We are here."**

Jaune then gave a demented smile and looked to Ironwood and Wash. "I will have **_war_**." The red glow formed over his eyes again as he looked south.

Everyone looked to match Jaune's gaze and saw another army matching over a large hill, looking over Beacon and Atlas' army.

Team RWBY ran to Glynda and Penny right as the new army was in sight. The army appeared to have a large diversity of primary colors but all the same secondary, sky blue. There were a few that had flags with Vale's symbol on them, but there was a star right behind it.

"Oh, no… The Sky Knights of Vale." Glynda said with worry in her voice.

The army consisted of hundreds of troop transport trucks, Scorpion Tanks, Cyclops and Mantis mechs, and Warthogs. The Cyclops mechs had large shields mounted on their left arms with a selection of melee weapons for their right; from jackhammers, large blades and buzz saws. Mantis mechs had two different primary weapons; machine guns or small Gauss cannons, while their secondary weapons were five barreled rocket launchers.

They stopped just a few yards from the bottom of the hill, the troop transports opened up their doors and unleashed thousands of infantry. They formed a standard line, those with shields stood in front while others stood behind.

* * *

"Who are they?" Nora asked.

"That… is _my_ army." Jaune said with an arrogant smile. Everyone else looked to him then to the army, to say that they were impressed was an understatement.

* * *

"Change to formation Beta, move south." Ironwood said to his radio as he ran to where his army would meet up with the Sky Knights. The army moved and followed Ironwood's orders. The Lake Town militia tried to move along with them, not knowing what they planned to do.

At the front there was a woman with Cyan armor, riding a four-wheeler, and had two blue sub machine guns on her hips. She was wearing a helmet that covered over her head and only showed her eyes. The helmet opened up to reveal her blond-ish red hair; she then waved off to Jaune from the gate, Jaune waved her back.

* * *

As the army was moving, Ruby and the others were following Glynda to the front of the army to meet up with Ironwood. As they were making their way to the front, the woman in the Cyan on the bike started rolling down the hill.

"Uh, Glynda? Who is that?" Ruby asked.

"She doesn't look very happy." Weiss added.

"That is Carolina Arc, Jaune's _oldest_ sister and the Sky Knight General of Vale." Glynda said with a little bit of a nervous voice.

"Wait, that's Jaune's sister?" Yang asked with shock.

"Are they alike?" Blake asked.

"Normally, yes. Except for when she gets competitive… and when it comes to family she can be a tad overprotective. Even more so when Jaune is the one in danger." Glynda said with a nervous voice.

"So what? I get over protective when it comes to Ruby." Yang asked.

"Yang, if you were in her place and Ruby was in Jaune's, what would you do?" Blake asked.

Yang looked to the army of Atlas, and then to the Sky Knights, "Ok, we're in trouble."

* * *

Carol rode her bike down the hill and up a rock that put her just above everyone in front of her, "Good morning everyone." She looked over all the soldier, robots, mech's, and militia, and then she looked to Ironwood and Wash. "I have a little suggestion if you don't mind hearing it… Would you all consider… GETTING THE HELL OFF OUR LAND! Atlas has no right to be here!"

All the Atlas troops stood at the ready, some of the Lake Town militia actually got scared by Carol's yelling.

Wash reached the front of the army; he waved his hand to his people to stand down. He wasn't about to lead his people against the Sky Knights, some of those soldiers had relatives in Lake Town that were a part of the militia.

"Come now, General Arc." Glynda said as she stood before the Carol and in front of the army.

"Glynda Goodwitch, why am I not surprised… Tell these invaders to leave, or I'll water the ground with their blood." Carol said with anger in her voice.

"There is no need for war between Vale and Atlas… A massive horde of Grimm is coming; we need to work together if we're to stand a chance." Glynda suggested. "Stand your army down."

"I'm not going to stand down to any invader… least not that 'Tin-man'." Carol said as she pointed to Ironwood. "He's done nothing but built a wall and harass our people 'searching' for the White Fang. If he chooses to stand between me and my little brother, I'll cut his other arm off!"

Ironwood could only arrogantly smile at Carol's threats. He almost looked at her as if she were inferior to him.

"See if he's still so arrogant then?" Carol said with an angry glare. Her helmet formed over her face and she rode back up to her army.

"Carol, wait!" Ruby shouted.

"Let them try. It's not like they're going to get far." Ironwood said with an arrogant smile.

"You'd be surprised you heartless tin can!" Carol shouted as she continued. "You hear that, guys? We're on! Let's show these guys how Sky Knight's fight!" All the soldiers in the Sky Knights cheered in agreement.

* * *

Ironwood walked over to Wash, "Stand your people down, I'll deal with the general."

Wash nodded in agreement. He was never planning on fighting the Sky Knights anyway.

* * *

Once she met up with the troops she turned her bike and looked to her second in command. The soldier was wearing a light blue that matched with the sky blue stripe on his shoulder. "Let's get this done, Tucker."

He nodded and pulled out his radio. "Send in the Gungeese!"

Then all the infantry sectioned themselves separately, allowing waves of men on four-wheeled motorcycles with mounted guns in front ride down the hill.

"All Paladin-mortars at the ready!" Ironwood said though this radio.

"JAMES THIS IS MADNESS!" Glynda shouted.

Ironwood ignored Glynda and continued with his orders, "FIRE!"

The Paladins fired ten mortar shots that were coming right for the bikers. Carol looked up to see them and smiled as she pulled out her radio, "Caboose now!"

 _"Freckles!"_ Shouted a man on the radio

 _"Initiating mortar nets."_ Said what sounded like a machine on the radio.

Then six large energy nets flew right over the troops and caught all the mortar rockets and set them off in midair, along with the nets.

The soldiers cheered at the success to Carol's trap. Ironwood looked completely shocked to see his attack so easily blocked.

"Who's the 'most advanced military on the planet' now, you uptight bastard!" Carol shouted to Ironwood.

"Fire again!" Ironwood shouted.

Ten more mortars fired from the Paladins and flew towards the bikers. Carol talked into her radio, "Again."

 _"Firing second round."_ The machine on the radio ordered.

The energy nets fired from large trucks that had the name 'Kodiak' painted on them. Standing next to them was a larger mantis mech, there was a name spray painted on its chest saying 'Freckles'. The six Kodiaks fired more energy nets to catch the incoming mortars.

The nets intercepted the mortars and exploded in midair over the armies.

"CHARGE!" Carol shouted as she rode downhill with all the infantry, tanks, and mechs followed.

Just before the two armies were about to clash, a loud scream could be heard and a white light shined right between the two armies.

" _STOOOOOP!_ "

Everyone looked to see that the source of the scream and light was Ruby. Her eyes silver eyes were glowing.

The light was bright enough to force all the bikers to stop so that they wouldn't crash after being blinded. All the Atlas troopers had to shield their eyes with their hands from the light. Both Carol and Ironwood were stunned by Ruby's sudden outburst of power.

"Ruby? How did you…?" Yang asked with complete shock.

Just before Ruby could say anything, everyone heard a loud rumble in the distance. Every soldier form Atlas to Vale looked to the west, near the edge of the cliff.

The ground began to crack and loud wails could be heard through the rock. Weiss remembered hearing those sounds before; it was wails that she could never forget. "Ground Dwellers."

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

"It appears Rose stopped the infighting, very impressive. However, I don't think it'll be enough to stop this." Cinder said with a smile as she looked to where the rumbling was coming from.

Pyrrha could only stand there in complete shock. _"Ruby how did you do that?"_

* * *

Four adult sized Ground Dwellers broke through the ground and wailed as they came out of the holes they made. They looked weak; they went limp and turned to dust right as they hit the ground. They left four massive holes in the ground.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

 _"I guess digging from the wall all the way to here was too much for them… oh well."_ Cinder thought to herself. She then raised her hands up and shouted, "COME FORTH MY ARMIES OF GRIMM!"

* * *

As if on que, waves of Grimm-Orcs and other forms of Grimm poured out of the holes like ants. Surprisingly enough, they formed ranks and charged right for the armies in front of Beacon. They showed no sign of slowing down and ran as fast as their legs would allow it.

Carol could only look in horror to the new enemy's arrival. She quickly got to her senses and acted like any general would in this situation. "The armies of Darkness are upon us! Set up a war wall and form a blockade!"

All the Sky Knights turned away from the Atlas soldiers and rode out to face the Grimm head on.

As they were doing this, the Atlas soldiers reformed their lines and directed their attention to the Grimm.

* * *

Jaune wanted to go over the wall; fighting by his sister's side was one of things he wanted most. Felix appeared right next to him. "I wouldn't go out there if I were you…" Jaune looked to Felix in protest. "Let your army take care of this, that's what they're there for. Stay here and ensure Beacon's safety."

Before Jaune could say anything, Felix hit him with more power, and Jaune's thoughts of protest vanished.

"I'm going over the wall, who's coming with me?" Sun asked.

"Hell yeah!" Coco cheered.

"Stand down." Jaune ordered.

Everyone looked to him; Neptune was the most angered by Jaune's order. "What? We're just going to sit back and watch?"

"I gave you an order." Jaune said as he walked down the wall.

* * *

While the Sky Knights reached a point between Beacon and the army of Grimm, they appeared to be all alone.

Ruby noticed that Ironwood wasn't giving any orders anymore. "Atlas… Aren't they going to fight?" Ruby asked.

Glynda looked to Ironwood in response to Ruby's question. Ironwood looked in Glynda's eyes; right there she could see that he was scared. "James…" Ironwood quickly stood up tall and nodded his head.

* * *

The Cyclops mechs formed a wall with their large shields, leaving enough space between for spears or rifles to fit between the shields. Mantis mechs stood right behind them with their weapons at the ready.

The infantry marched up to the mechs, some standing right behind the shield wall while others were standing around the mechs.

Once the last wall was set, Carol shouted to all her troops, "WE ARE THE SWORDS OF VALE!"

" **WE ARE THE SHIELDS OF HER PEOPLE!** " All the soldiers shouted at once.

The armies of Grimm were charging with full force. They looked as though they were about to smash against the wall like water on rock.

Just as the wave was about to hit, Atlisan Knights on jetpacks flew over the war wall and opened fire on the Grimm Vanguard. So many flew over and fired, it practically tore apart the Grimm's momentum.

Once their jetpacks went out, the knights switched their rifles to swords and engaged the Grimm-Orcs. Seeing this opportunity, Carol shouted, "NOW!"

And then the Cyclops' lifted their walls, unleashing the Sky Knights infantry into the battle and joined the Atlas forces.

Carol charged past her solders and cut down any Grimm that got in her way with her short swords. The swords were blue and had energy edge blades. She cut Grimm down as if they were made of butter.

Atlas infantry and Paladins joined in the fight and supported the right flank of the fight while the Sky Knights had the left.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

"Let's make it more interesting…" Cinder said as she lifted her hand up to the bracelet that Salem gave her. "Bring in the big ones."

Pyrrha actually was quite relieved that the Grimm arrived; now Atlas and Vale have a common enemy to fight instead of each other.

* * *

Glynda saw that there were larger Grimm pouring out of the holes; Major Ursa, Death Stalkers, and even a few newer Deathstalkers that were larger and had two tails and stingers.

Ironwood saw the sudden arrival of larger Grimm, he pulled out his radio, "All mortars, fire at will!"

Carol saw the larger Grimm pouring out of the tunnels and radioed Tucker, "Tucker, bring in the heavies!"

All the Paladins fired their mortars in a simultaneous barrage. They blasted four platoon's worth of Grimm-Orcs and several large Grimm in one blast.

Just as the smoke cleared, Scorpion tanks and Warthogs rode through, shooting at anything that got in their way. The tanks ran over every Grimm that stood in front of them and blew away the rest.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

 _"Now that's not playing fair."_ Cinder thought to herself, "Take out those war machines!"

* * *

All of a sudden, several Major Ursa looked to the incoming Warthogs and charged at them. One Warthog hit an Ursa head on and got flipped backwards by the large beast; while others were either knocked over by other Ursa or had their tires slashed by smaller Grimm.

Death Stalkers charged at the incoming tanks and shot their stingers at the tracks, halting the tank. The Grimm around the tank swarmed it and tore it apart like a tin can.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

"It's obvious they can hold the line if they fought on just one front. But two…" Cinder said with a devious smile as she raised the bracelet to her face. "Fifth, sixth and seventh hoard, press the attack on Beacon, while the rest of you, attack the city."

"What? But they're just civilians! They have nothing to do with this battle!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Yes, but to honor my agreement with Adam Taurus, I need to give him a city, an empty one." Cinder said with a smirk.

* * *

Some of the Grimm-Orc that weren't fighting halted and turned towards Vale. As they marched they began chanting a war chant. Multiple large Grimm followed them as well.

Glynda looked to the Spire and vaguely see Cinder at her balcony. She could see that she was looking to Vale at the moment, and then she heard the Grimm-Orc's war chant. "Cinder… She's going to attack the city! Wash!"

Wash looked to Glynda then to the armies heading for Vale. "Everyone, fall back to Vale, NOW!"

Everyone in the Lake Town Militia ran to Vale. Ream RWBY, Glynda and Penny followed.

As that was happening, Carol was doing her best to fight and keep her army together in the fight. Surprising for her, she saw Ironwood fighting alongside his men. Right when small groups of Grimm were about to attack him from behind, she rode around Ironwood and cut them down.

* * *

(City of Vale)

On the outskirts of Vale, large Death Stalkers lined up in a row of five. They stuck their pinchers into the ground and rolled their tails back flat on the ground.

Grimm-Orcs that resembled Boarbatusk stood on the stingers and rolled themselves up into spike balls. The Death Stalkers then swung their stingers forward, propelling the Boarbatusk-Orcs towards the city's as they were spinning, like catapults.

The Boarbatusk-Orcs flew in their spike ball form and smashed through the guard towers and cut down a few of the soldiers guarding the walls.

Then came a Major Ursa with a pointed iron block mounted on its head. It charged at top speed and punched a hole through the wall. The hole was big enough for a few Grimm-Orcs to get in at a time. The Grimm backed off then fell flat on its back and disintegrated.

Once the hole was made the Grimm-Orcs swarmed into the city like ants.

* * *

Wash's children were caught in the cross fire of Grimm-Orcs and the Reds Platoon that were fighting the Grimm.

The children ran when they saw the hordes of Grimm-Orcs run up from the street they were on.

* * *

Wash rode in on his motorcycle. He dismounted and shouted his children's names. "Where are my children?! Bain! Sigrid!"

"I saw them; they were down in the Industrial district." One of the running civilians shouted towards Wash as she was running.

"The Industrial? Where are they now?" Wash asked himself. His search was cut short when Sarge arrived along with the rest of the Red platoon, including the twins Melanie and Miltia.

"Wash. Grimm are warming into the Agricultural district, they'll be heading for the Industrial next." Sarge said.

Wash looked to the men then to Sarge, "Take your men and head for the northern districts, destroy all but the main bridge over the river. Hold the gates until we can get every civilian out of the southern districts. We'll try to take the heat off the civilians while they make their way to you. The Commercial District will be our last stand."

 **(AN: To better understand the strategic meaning of Wash's orders, look at the Vale Map that Roman made in Vol. 1. It is what I am using to better explain the battle inside the city.)**

Sarge nodded and then looked to his men, "RED'S WITH ME!" Sarge led then led his troops and the twins to the northern districts.

One of the civilians that was running past the militia shouted, "The Industrial district is about to be overrun!"

Team RWBY, Glynda and Penny caught up with Wash at this point. Once he saw that they were with them, felt that there was a chance.

"Everyone else…" Wash shouted to the militia, "Follow me!" All the rest of the Militia followed Wash as they ran to the Industrial district to save as many as they could, and with luck, find Wash's children.

On their way there they were intercepted by a horde of Grimm-Orcs that were coming up the street they were intersecting. All the militia engaged in man to man combat using melee weapons, while others tried to use their rifles on high rises.

Team RWBY and Penny all jumped over the column of Grimm and attacked them from the middle, taking some of the heat off the Militia.

Ruby swung her scythe slicing multiple Grimm in half and shooting the heads off others.

Weiss froze a few then blew a few away with her wind dust crystal.

Blake swung her pistol around cutting and shooting as many Grimm as she could.

Yang punched the head off every Grimm she encountered and blasted away the rest.

Penny had ten swords out and sliced as many Grimm as she could; she swung them in a pattern swing with one sword following the other and then swung six swords in a circle like a saw.

Glynda focused more on aiding the militia, she felt that they weren't strong enough to take on this new form of Grimm and did her best to aid the front line.

* * *

Bain, Sigrid and Tilda ran as a Major Ursa was hot on their tails. Tilda was screaming as the beast got closer.

In the distance, Wash heard his daughter's screamed and followed it. Blake and Ruby followed him as he left the main battle.

They saw the children running up the street with the Ursa not far behind.

Wash turned his sword into a battle rifle and started firing on the Ursa. The bullets appeared to do no effect to the beast. Then Ruby and Blake zoomed past Wash and ran down hill.

"Lady Bug!" Ruby shouted as she fired her gun to propel herself over the beast. She then landed right behind it and moved her weapon the opposite direction from before.

Blake put her sword into its large sheath and prepared to swing its sharp end at the beast.

Ruby and Blake then went back and forth, cutting at the Ursa, trading their positions to the beast. It stopped when it started getting attacked. The beast wailed in pain every time they struck. Wash then charged in, climbed on top of a parked car and jumped on the beast's chest, while stabbing into its chest with his sword.

They both tumbled down hill and Wash's sword went deeper into the beast's chest when they hit the ground. Blake and Ruby helped Wash off the beast just before it started disintegrating.

They all looked to see that two Creep-Orcs snuck past the fight and attempted to attack the children.

Luckily Bain had a Glock pistol and shot the two Grimm in their faces before they could swing their claws at him. He looked to his father and the two Huntresses with shock in his eyes.

"He got _that_ form his mother." Wash said with a smile. The two girls started to laugh a little.

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

Meanwhile at the battle in the main court yard of Beacon; the Sky Knights and Atlas Military were holding their own. Ironwood and Carol actually fought side-by-side for a few minutes before moving off to help their other officers. Despite their previous anger towards each other, they knew that if either of them died in the battle now, their armies would falter in a heartbeat.

Tucker was leading the main infantry against the Grimm-Orcs while Caboose was inside the super Mantis, named 'Freckles' taking on all the larger Grimm.

Every time Tucker swung his sword he would say 'swish' and whenever he stabbed a Grimm he'd shout 'stab'.

"My name is Michael J Caboose and I hate GRIMM!" Caboose shouted into the microphone and could be heard through the battle.

The Freckles mantis stood toe-to-toe with a Death Stalker. Its arms blocked the scorpion's pincers, then when the stinger came down; the left arm came up and fired multiple rockets at the stinger until it shattered. Caboose then stomped on the scorpion's head, crushing it.

Then when Caboose was about to turn to take on another Grimm, the Mantis accidently stepped on an Atlisan Knight. Caboose looked down then said, "Not my fault, Tucker did it."

Despite the technological superiority the ally forces had, they were beginning to get overwhelmed and outnumbered. More and more Grimm-Orcs and large forms of Grimm continued to pour out of the holes like an agitated ant-hill. Thousands of Grimm were already dead, but thousands more were still on the way out of those tunnels.

* * *

 **AN: And I'm going to leave you off right there. I am sorry, but this was the perfect spot I felt would be to cut off this chapter.**

 **The next chapter will be coming out next week, same day.**

 **Please Review what you think of this chapter!**

 **Have hope for Jaune!**


	25. Now Comes the Darkest Hour

**Now Comes the Darkest Hour**

* * *

 **AN: Name says it all I'm afraid.**

 **Hope you guys like my changes to the story. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Things were starting to take a turn for the worst.

The Sky Knights and Atlas military were focusing too much on the main Grimm-force to aid Vale. Even then the armies looked to be getting over run.

Carol and Ironwood were at the head of their armies, fighting off wave after wave, but it appeared to make no difference.

Vale was worse. Waves upon waves of Grimm poured out of the Ground Dweller's tunnels and poured into the breach they made. Most of the southern districts were swarmed; The Residential and Agricultural Districts were already over run and the Industrial was the next to fall.

The reds attempted to delay the Grimm by blowing up the bridges along the river. They destroyed most already, but there still remained the main bridge that intersected the 'Y' in the river. Any and all non-combatants were making their way to the Central Park in the Commercial district to hide inside the capitol building.

Unfortunately, the Grimm managed to find another way to the Commercial district by going through the entrance into the city that was the closest to Beacon; a causeway bridge that was large enough for a large force to push through.

* * *

(City of Vale)

Wash gathered his children and moved them to an ally with Team RWBY and Penny behind them.

Wash looked to his children, "Listen… The Reds are currently holding a blockade at the northern side of the main bridge. I need you three to gather all the women in children you can and take them to Main hall."

They then heard footsteps on the other side of the ally way. Everyone pointed their weapons to the sound, but then lowered them when they saw a familiar face running towards them.

"Griff? What the hell are you doing here?" Wash asked.

"I got separated from the others after I fell asleep by the docks. Where is everyone? And why are their Grimm everywhere?!" Griff practically screamed.

"You missed out on a lot." Yang said with a half-smile.

"Take my children and escort them to the commercial district. We'll try to get as many survivors out as we can." Wash said as he took the pistol out of Bain's hand, "I want you all to barricade the door and not come out for any reason."

"We want to stay with you." Tilda said.

"He needs you three to be safe." Ruby said, "He'll fight harder if he knows you're ok."

The younger daughter started to tear up, she hugged her father tight. Wash hugged her back.

"Come on." Griff said as he loaded a magazine into his rifle.

Wash handed the Glock to Griff, just before letting go he looked Griff in the eye and said, "Take care of them, please."

Griff looked into Wash's eyes and nodded. "I'll get them to safety, Sheriff. I promise." Griff then looked to the children, "Come on."

"And Griff." Wash said before they ran off, "We need everyone fighting, which means you don't sleep during all this."

"I can honestly say I'll never sleep through this!" Griff said with a chuckle.

All four of them ran down the ally. Just as they exited the ally, Griff handed the Glock back to Bain, "You're going to need that."

Wash and the others saw the Grimm coming up the street from where they entered the ally; they readied their weapons and charged into battle. And in the nick of time, the militia showed up and gave them support.

* * *

Up at the river that divided the Industrial and Commercial Districts, there was a large group of wounded, children, and old people making their way up the bridge and into the Safe Zone that the Reds finished setting up.

Junior, Sarge and Winter were able to properly set up good positions for snipers and turret stand points to help the fighting in the city. Once it seemed like their coordination was done, they joined the front lines at the bridge and stood ready for the Grimm to come to them.

The twins fought hard and fast to keep the Grimm from getting through the causeway; they tore through the Grimm like a blade through butter, but that didn't stop more from coming at them.

Junior fired his rocket launcher at as many Grimm as he could, and bashed others with his bat if they got through the twins.

Winter used both her swords and cut down any Grimm that went past her, she even used her summoning to send her own 'Construct-Grimm" **(As I call them)** to attack the others.

Sarge used his shotgun on any Grimm that were dumb enough to run up to him; he would shoot one in the head, swing the butt of his gun against the chest of another then fired straight up its chin.

* * *

Simmons and Doc were with Lopez on the south side of the bridge, they were firing the mounted turrets trying to help. They also set up auto-turrets alongside their machine guns. Lopez was standing alongside the turrets, firing at the Grimm that were chasing the crowd.

"¡Maldición! Ellos siguen llegando !" ( **Damn it!** **They just keep coming!** ) Lopez said as he was reloading his rifle.

Griff arrived with Wash's children behind him. "Go, get across the bridge." Griff said as he waved them off and stood next to Simmons.

"Where the hell have you been?" Simmons asked after firing a few machine gun rounds.

"A place I wish I could go back to right about now." Griff shouted as he fired a few shots at Grimm-Orcs that were climbing over buildings.

* * *

(Outskirts of Vale)

Ironwood could see the smoke coming from Vale; he ordered his forces to divert and help protect the city, leaving the Sky Knights to defend Beacon on their own.

Ironwood's armored truck had to plow through dozens of Grimm in order to reach the FOB's entrance. His forces made it into the city but were intercepted by Ursa.

Two Major Ursa slammed into his vehicle and flipped it over sideways. After the truck came to a rest, Ironwood kicked the door open and climbed out. He looked to see that he was surrounded by Grimm. Ironwood had blood coming down his brow from the crash. You could see the intensity in his eyes at this point; he was furious.

He drew his pistol and attacked every Grimm around him. Headshot after headshot, punch after punch, he wiped out every Grimm that was there when he crashed. Just when more showed up, his troops arrived to give him support. Once his forces arrived, he made his way to the FOB.

* * *

Wash and the others were moving the militia across the last bridge to the Commercial district with Grimm right behind them.

The gate into the district opened to let the militia and the huntresses in. As soon as all the militia was through, everyone turned around, armed their guns and fired a continuous barrage of bullets up the bridge until the gate sealed itself.

When the gate sealed, they could hear the Grimm banging against the walls hard. Everyone then turned to the Grimm that were already in the Commercial district and fought them off alongside the Atlas forces.

Wash led the huntresses to central park in the hopes to defend the capital form the Grimm.

As they were making their way, Ruby saw how the Atlas soldiers and Lake Town Militia were fighting with all their might but were getting exhausted.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder looked over the burning city and could only smile at her success. "As I planned, Atlas broke off from the main fight and went into the city. But they can't hold the city for much longer."

Emerald started to feel the same chill she felt when Smaug attacked Lake Town. She felt even worse when she started to hear the screams coming from the city.

Pyrrha could only watch in horror as she watched a city that was once a beacon of hope becomes a war-torn waste land in only a few hours.

Cinder looked to Beacon and smiled, "The Sky Knight's strength is almost spent."

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

The Sky Knights were attempting to form another war wall but failed when Death Stalkers plowed through the Cyclops mechs. The Mantis mechs were firing everything they had at the Grimm but it proved to be futile, for every Grimm they blew up or shot full of bullets; two more took its place in the horde.

Carol lead a squad of bikers that were making Calvary runs to try and take the pressure off the infantry. Then after her tenth run, a Beowulf-Orc slashed her front tires, causing her bike to flip forward.

She jumped off the bike and landed in a wide squat. "You bastards!" She shouted as she took of her helmet and drew both her blue sub machine guns and opened fire on the Grimm in front of her. She then switched the guns into short swords with energy blades and attacked any Grimm that got close.

Sky Knight Infantry managed to catch up to her and fight by her side. Caboose led two other Mantis mechs to help back up Carol before she would get over run.

Carol tripped over debris from a destroyed Mantis. Tucker quickly gave her a hand to stand up, "Carol, we can't hold for much longer. We need a miracle." Tucker was scared; he had been in bad situations before, but this makes all those seem like a picnic in comparison.

Carol realized why they weren't doing so well in the fight. "Where's Jaune?" She continued to look for her brother, fear started to show in her eyes, "We need him, where is he?!" In the midst of the chaos of the battle, nobody could answer Carol; some might not have even heard her through all the violence.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

"This kingdom will be the first of many to fall to my mistress!" Cinder shouted with her hands wide open. As her hands rose, dark masses of clouds formed over the sky, blocking out some of the sun and darkening the battlefield; most likely a part of Salem's 'loyalty gift'. She then looked to Vale, "And no one will think to stand against her again."

Pyrrha could only watch in horror as two armies of two kingdoms were being overwhelmed by the Grimm in only a few minutes.

* * *

(City of Vale)

The causeway entrance started to get swarmed, more Grimm were flooding into the city. At the same time, the last bridge that connected the industrial to the Commercial, its gates were about to be broken through. They hadn't detonated the bridge yet.

With the swarm of Grimm poring through the causeway, Ironwood ordered his troopers to set up a perimeter around Central Park

Right when Wash and the huntresses reached the park they found that some Grimm managed to slip through the defenses. They engaged the Grimm and killed every last one of them until there were only Atlas and Militia inside Central Park.

When they finished, all of Team RWBY were terrified to see the casualties that were made before they arrived; dozens of civilians and soldiers alike.

* * *

(Beacon dorms/ Team JNPR's Room)

Ren walked through the hallway and entered the room; there he found Jaune sitting on his old bed, in his hands was the old picture of their team.

Jaune was just sitting there, staring into the ground. He didn't even respond to Ren's arrival.

"Since when do you abandon you own family?" Ren asked with anger in his voice. Jaune didn't answer, Ren took a step forward, "Jaune… They're dying out there."

Jaune didn't respond, he only let in a big breath and a loud exhale. "Did you not here me?" Ren asked as he grabbed Jaune's shoulder. "Your sister is surrounded… and they're being slaughtered, Jaune."

Jaune lifted his head up to Ren, the rage that was in his eyes were still there. Jaune stood up and walked past Ren, "People die in war all the time, why should this be any different."

"They don't have to die! They need _you_ out there; they need _your_ power on their side!" Ren couldn't emphasize Jaune's importance enough.

"This land," Jaune said as he turned to Ren, his voice almost sounded like he was drunk. "This kingdom should not be counted in lives lost… **But it is worth all the blood we can spend to protect it!** "

Ren knew that the only way to get Jaune to break out of the Arkenstone's control was to get him to finish all the stages of grief. But that meant hurting Jaune deeper than any blade could reach. "You stand here with an army at your command… With powers that men could never dream of…" Ren was almost choking on his words; it was painful for him to say this. "And yet you are lesser a man now than you were when we first met."

Jaune felt rage and sadness build up in his chest. Ren might as well have slapped him in the face. "Do not talk to me as I was some little kid… A boy who had NO RIGHT to be at an academy like this…" Jaune said as he gestured to the building they were in. "Who had to sneak his way into this school… Who was the weakest of his team…" Sadness stared to well up in his throat, his voice started to break down when he finished, "And when he FINALY HAD THE POWER, he couldn't save the woman he loved!"

An orange glow started to form in his eyes as he drew his sword and swung it outward, " **I AM THE STAR KNIGHT OF VALE!** " When he swung the sword, he was off balance, showing him that he was drunk… drunk on the power that Felix had been giving him. When he looked down to the sword in his hand, he saw black roots running down his arm.

"You weren't always that!" Ren shouted back. "And that used to matter to you. You don't even see what you've become." Ren was almost on the verge of tears at this point.

Before Jaune could say anything, Felix appeared behind Ren. "This guy is starting to become a pest… He's become more trouble than he's worth." Felix then looked to Jaune with anger in his eyes, "Kill him."

Jaune's eyes widened to such orders. Before he could protest, Felix waved his hand over Jaune again. Jaune felt the power coursing though him, he felt that he was ready to end Ren's life. His sword was already drawn, it started to shake. Before he could do anything Jaune let out a few words, "Get out."

Ren felt that he had done too much damage to Jaune and wanted to comfort him, he took another step towards Jaune.

Jaune could feel his arm shaking, his arm was getting close to stabbing Ren with his sword, but Jaune managed to use his free hand to push Ren away, "LEAVE!"

When Ren was pushed back he looked sad, he was about to say something but was caught off guard by what Jaune said next.

"Leave, now… Before I kill you." Jaune almost sounded like he was about to cry. Jaune's eyes were changing back.

Ren could see the battle going on in Jaune's body; he was fighting off the Arkenstone. Ren nodded in understanding and walked towards the exit. Just before he left the doorway, he said one last thing, "Come back to us, Jaune. We need you."

Ren was gone, leaving Jaune to fight the Arkenstone on his own.

* * *

Jaune stood in the room; it was quiet for about five minutes until Felix appeared again.

"I am disappointed in you, Jaune." Felix said with his arms crossed. "I thought we had an agreement: you listen to me, I give you power to voguish your enemies."

Jaune turned away from Felix, "Ren is far from an enemy… You wanted me to kill someone I saw as a brother!"

"Oh, please… You're a means to an end with him… To all of them." Felix said with his arms crossed.

Jaune turned back to Felix with rage filled eyes. Jaune pulled the stone out of his pocket and slammed it on the end table, "You can have your stone back… I want nothing more to do with you." Jaune then walked past Felix, making his way out the door.

Felix then gave a confident and devious smile, "As you wish." He waved his hand the opposite direction than he normally did.

Just as Jaune was about to walk out he felt his body get weak; he fell down to his hands and knees. His body started to sweat, his heart beat accelerated, and he could feel his body shaking.

"That feeling you're getting… That's me taking all the power I gave you back." Felix said as he walked around him in a circle, "I believe the doctors of this time call it 'withdrawal'."

Jaune's body felt like it was tearing itself apart. He could feel the pain in his arms from just trying to keep him from collapsing on the ground.

Felix kneeled down to Jaune's face and pulled Jaune's head up by the hair, "I would be willing to give you back the power if you agree to never disobey me again."

Jaune opened his eyes to look at Felix in the eye, "I… will never follow your orders ever again." Jaune practically spat in Felix's face, although it did nothing to him.

Felix looked less than pleased. He let go of Jaune's head then stood up, he turned away, "You're just as stubborn as Joan…" Felix then turned around and kicked Jaune in the face.

Jaune fell to the floor, his eyes full of shock as he saw Felix approach him.

"Oh, I'm sure you're wondering why I was able to do that. Well, it's simple… We're in your mind right now." Felix then grabbed Jaune by the collars and lifted him up, "And I can do whatever I want in here."

Felix then through Jaune threw the wall behind him. Jaune landed on his back, groaning at the pain. He could hear Felix walking up to him.

"You Arcs are all the same… Usurpers, every last one of you!" Felix shouted as he got closer to Jaune.

"Usurper? That's what-" Jaune's thought was cut short when Felix picked Jaune up again and slammed him against another wall.

"This is MY kingdom…" Felix's eyes began to glow orange, his teeth started to change, black roots formed over his face and completely covered it in darkness, "And one way or another **I WILL GET IT BACK!** "

It was right then that Jaune saw the resemblance, "SMAUG?!" Jaune said with barely enough breath to speak.

" **It's funny; I've been called by other names for so long that it made me forget the name I was born with. The first was the Mad King, then Grimm Dragon, and now 'Smaug'.** " Smaug spouted as he through Jaune threw the wall he was pinned up against. When Jaune landed on the floor in the next room, Smaug continued.

" **I am the rightful King of Vale, and your ancestor stole my throne form me and helped kill the woman I loved!** " Smaug shouted as he kicked Jaune out of the room, across the hallway, and into the opposite room.

Jaune groaned to the pain, he lifted himself up slowly, he could feel his aura healing his body form the withdrawal, so all he needed to do was buy some time. "How did you survive? We killed you!"

" **You killed my body… Luckily I put enough of my soul into the stone right before you stole it. And here I am.** " Smaug said as he raised his hands and bowed, and then his body started to change.

Felix's body started to change into a more Grimm version; he looked like a cross between Smaug's dragon body and one of a human. " **I originally planned to have you take me to Mordor so that my beloved could give me a new body… I actually thought you could rule by my side, like brothers in arms... But now I see that there is no way that's going to happen.** "

Smaug then grabbed Jaune by the neck and held him up, " **So I guess I'll just have to destroy your mind and keep your body.** " Smaug then raised his claws and got ready to stab Jaune with them.

He was stopped when a spear pierced his back. " **AAAH!** " Smaug turned to see the red Spartan charging at him.

Smaug rolled his eyes and let out a blaze of fire at Pyrrha. " **I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!** " Pyrrha quickly blocked it with her shield and continued to charge at him.

Jaune saw the opportunity and drew his pistol that was still in his holster. He then pointed it at the back of Smaug's head and fired four shots.

The bullets went right through Smaug's head; the bullets went right through him, it was as if he was a hologram. Smaug turned to Jaune and smirked, " **I exist in your mind. My aura is what makes me physically here to you.** " Smaug then slammed Jaune on the ground hard, making a large crater in the ground. " **And _you_ can't touch me.** "

His arrogant speech was cut short when Pyrrha body slammed him with her shield, "But _I_ can!" When she knocked Smaug down, she pulled her sword out of his back and help Jaune stand up.

Smaug backed up; his head was ringing from being hit by the shield. Smaug looked to Jaune and Pyrrha and started laughing at the sight. " **You are pathetic, Arc.** "

Jaune and Pyrrha looked in confusion to what Smaug was saying.

" **You can't hide behind that _thing_ forever… She's not even REAL!** " Smaug shouted.

Pyrrha stood between Jaune and Smaug, "I'm real enough to stop you."

They both then charged at each other fast. Smaug slashed his claws at Pyrrha, while she blocked with her shield. Every time she saw an opening she attempted to slash him or stab him in the chest.

Jaune was a witness to all of this; these two were at war for him and he can't do anything but watch. He started to feel his strength return and the withdrawal receding.

Smaug knocked Pyrrha off her feet and then forced his talons down on her. Pyrrha was using her shield to block his attack, but her strength was beginning to fail. Her shield started lowering and Smaug's talons were getting closer to her face.

Jaune felt helpless, like back before he got his powers. _"Wait, the stone."_ Jaune had realized he can't touch Smaug because he's not physically there, he was a mental projection that felt real because his mind was making it real; this was all just Smaug's aura making him feel as if he was there when he really isn't. But the stone was real, and Jaune could touch it. Jaune ran back into his room and found the stone where he'd left it.

" **Once you're gone, he will be next.** " Smaug said as his talons got closer to Pyrrha's face. Then Smaug's chest started to crack and rays of light shined form the cracks. " **AAAAH!** "

Pyrrha was shocked by this and moved out from under Smaug while he was distracted by the cracks in his body.

"Looks like I just found a way to hurt you." Jaune said as he entered the room. Both Smaug and Pyrrha looked to see that Jaune was holding the Arkenstone in his hand, and had a few cracks in it.

" **What are you doing? AAAH!** " Smaug shouted as more cracks formed over his chest and started to spread throughout his body.

"Shattering the last remnants of you." Jaune said as he was squeezing the stone with his aura enhanced hand. Jaune's aura was not only enhancing the strength in his hand, but also protecting his skin from the sharks poking out of the stone as it cracked.

More cracks formed over Smaug's body; the pain caused him to go on all fours and grunt at the pain. He put his hand to his chest in an attempt to stop the cracks but the cracks continued to spread and get bigger.

Smaug went down to his hands and knees, his face changed back to Felix, and it almost looked like there was blood running down his nose and eyes. His voice sounded raspy, almost out of breath, "If you destroy me… you'll never get your revenge…"

"I don't want revenge anymore! I want _REDMPTION_ for what you made me do!" Jaune shouted back. Jaune then squeezed on the stone one more time and crushed the stone like an egg in his hand.

Felix/Smaug shouted out in pain as the cracks covered his whole body, the light coming out of the cracks shined bright enough to blind Jaune. Smaug's body then shattered into pieces as if he was made of glass. All the shards disintegrated within seconds of hitting the ground, Jaune then through the shattered remains of the Arkenstone across the floor.

Pyrrha slowly walked to Jaune, after all that was said, she was afraid how he would react. "Jaune… About what he said."

"I know." Jaune said. He didn't look at her at first. He stood up and then turned to her, "I always knew… From the beginning."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Pyrrha asked.

"I was afraid that if I did, you'd be gone right after." Jaune said with sadness deep in his throat.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha said with a sad voice of her own. She walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Then you know what comes next… You have to let me go."

Jaune turned his head away from her; Pyrrha put both her hands on his shoulders and said, "You have to let me go!"

"I CAN'T!" Jaune almost shouted in her face. "If I let you go… Then I'll never see her again... She'll truly be dead to me… the sound of her voice, the smile on her face… That all goes when you leave." Jaune collapsed to his knees, tears started to drip form his eyes. All his rage had been spent; all that was left was sadness and pain. Sadness that had been building up for the past two years.

For the past two years, Jaune knew she wasn't real, and he never said anything because he was afraid of losing her again. Pyrrha hugged Jaune tight; at least, that's what it felt like to him, "You can never achieve your destiny if you hold onto me… You know that."

Jaune's sobs started to sound like laughter, soft laughter. He sat up, and looked Pyrrha in the eye, "Remember when… you first asked me about that? You had your own way of looking at Destiny… Well, my father told me another way of looking at it… He once said, 'Destiny is a plan that was already made for you… But it's on whether or not to follow it.'"

Pyrrha started to smile, "He sounds like a smart man."

"Yeah… he was." Jaune then turned away as he said, "I'm sorry it took so long."

Pyrrha rubbed her hand on Jaune's shoulder, "People heal at their own speed."

Jaune raised his hand to rest it on Pyrrha's but his hand went right through her fingers like it did with Smaug. He didn't look, he already knew it would happen, but still did it anyway. Like Smaug, she could touch him all she wanted, but he never could.

"You have to say it, Jaune. It's the only way…" Pyrrha said before she kissed him on the cheek and then let go of his shoulder.

"G-Goodbye, Pyrrha…" Jaune said as he closed his eyes to let a few more tears leave his face. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his eyes and looked to where she last was. She was gone.

Jaune was alone in the hallway. There he stood on his knees with the same hole in his heart; it didn't get any bigger or smaller. But he did feel as though a great weight was lifted off his chest. He even started to smile after being relieved of such a weight.

His smile vanished when he could hear explosions and gunfire in the distance. Jaune ran into his old room and looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the Courtyard outside the walls.

He took a few steps back, _"Time to finish what I started."_ Jaune then pulled out his scroll, and typed a message to his sister.

After he sent the message, he looked down to see that his armor was broken and dented. Not much protection for him in a fight. His eyes then widened when he remembered what he had left behind in his old locker, and then ran as fast as he could to the locker room.

* * *

(Beacon Court Yard)

Carol was doing the best she could to keep the troops fighting and staying on her feet. She then felt her scroll vibrate. She backed off from the front line to read the message that was sent:

" **Carol, its Jaune. I know a way to turn this around. Order the troops to form up at Beacon, but stay clear of the doors.** "

Carol felt a little relieved that Jaune was ok, and a little mad that he didn't contact her sooner, but that would have to wait. "FALL BACK!" She ordered at the top of her lungs, "Fall back to Beacon! NOW!"

All the soldiers followed her orders; they began to back off from the front of the fight. All the surviving Cyclopes formed another war wall and allowed their troops to run past them, while the all the surviving Mantises, including Freckles, along with the remaining Scorpion tanks and Warthogs, provided fire support.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder watched as the Sky Knights were falling back to Beacon. "And so comes the climax of the Sky Knights of Vale. Let's give them one last fight they'll never forget." Cinder then held the 'control band' up to her face and spoke into it, "Form up for one more assault."

And just like that, all Grimm that were attacking backed off from the Sky Knights and stared to form their platoon sections.

Pyrrha was shocked to see how organized these Grimm were. From what she could tell on the battle field, the Sky Knights were down to at least 3,000, Atlas moved into the city to aid the militia, so it was impossible to know how much they had left. While the last of the Grimm army made it out of the caves, the Grimm had at least 5,000 with another 2,000 that just got out of the caves and hadn't joined the fight yet.

 _"There is no way out of this… It's over."_ Pyrrha thought in sadness. She looked to see that Emerald felt the same way.

* * *

(Beacon's front gate)

"You think it worked?" Coco asked.

Ren had told them what he said to Jaune, and that he planned to push him though his grief in order to wake him up. The rest of the group that Ren's plan was a good one, but they understood that it was a painful one to do.

"I hope so." Ren said with a sad voice.

Everyone heard footsteps coming towards them, and what they saw actually surprised them. Jaune was walking up to them, wearing armor that looked exactly like his old academy armor, only bigger and fitted him better. Another difference was that he had his pistol and holster on his right hip.

Nora stood up from the pile of rubble she was sitting on, she was upset. "I can't hide behind that gate while there are good soldiers out there GIVING THEIR LIVES FOR US!" She finished with a shout.

Jaune still approached her at the same speed as he entered. He walked right up to her as she finished, "It's not who I am, Jaune." She sounded as if she was about to cry.

Jaune looked at Nora, the girl who was the muscle of their team, the girl that reminded him of his little sisters. He put his hand on her shoulder and spoke calmly, "No, it isn't. We are hunters of Beacon…" Nora nodded to his statement, while trying not to let her tears fall from her face. "And Beacon hunters never run from a fight they know they can win." Jaune finished with a smile.

Nora looked into Jaune's eyes, and she knew right then that not only did Jaune breaks free of the Arkenstone, but he was back to his old self. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged her leader as if he had just returned after a long time of being away, which wasn't that far off.

Jaune returned her hug in kind. Once they let go, Jaune walked past her, Nora was trying her best not to sob out loud as she was wiping the tears off her face.

Jaune walked up to the rest of the company who had stayed after his loss of temper. He felt guilt and great regret for what he did before, it almost didn't let him speak. But he swallowed his guilt and said what he needed to say, "I have absolutely _no right_ , to ask this of any of you… But will you let me lead you… one last time?"

No one said or did anything for about two seconds, but for Jaune it felt like a few minutes. Coco was the first to stand up; she held her back up and through it over her shoulder, while giving Jaune a nod and a smile. Fox stood up right after her. Sun extended his staff, and held it tight. Neptune pulled his rifle out form his shoulder and held it at the ready. Velvet and Yatsu stood up at the same time giving Jaune a small smile.

Jaune turned to Ren and Nora whom were behind him. Nora put her hammer over her shoulder while Ren allowed his weapons to come out of his sleeves, ready for battle. Ren gave Jaune a slightly bigger smile with a confident nod.

Jaune gave off a sigh of relief, he then turned to the others with a confident smile, "I have a plan."

* * *

 **AN: Uhhhh. You guys have no idea how hard it was to make this chapter.**

 **Looking back, from the first chapter to this one, Jaune has been through all the stages of Grief, and now he's a new man.**

 **Hope you guys are as excited about the new chapter as I am.**

 **See you next week. R &R**

 **ARKOS!**


	26. A Star is Reborn!

**A Star is Reborn!**

* * *

 **AN: Here comes the best, and personal favorite, part of the whole story.**

 **Hope you guys are as excited as I am!**

* * *

(City of Vale)

Thanks to Atlas joining the fight in the city, the combine force with the Miltia was able to push the Grimm back. This gave team RWBY, Glynda, Penny and Wash a chance to catch their breath.

They secured central park and the capitol, but the Grimm were determined to reach where all the scared and frightened people were hiding.

Wash walked up to Glynda with bad news, "Glynda, the Causeway is about to be over run." Wash sounded winded and scared, "The Grimm are close to breaching the last bridge. Sarge has explosives set, but he needs time to set them off."

Winter ran up to them, she was winded too. She was also covered in blood, some of it hers.

"How is the Atlas barricade holding?" Wash asked.

"We can't… hold for much… longer." Winter said between breaths. She was just at the barricade, trying desperately to keep the Grimm form breaking through until a Paladin arrived to take her place.

Glynda looked up to the buildings along the streets, "Get some snipers in those buildings, and provide support…"

"Our snipers are out of bullets…" Wash said with despair in his voice.

As they could hear the carnage down Main Street, Wash's courage began to break. "To think I believed that we could actually _save this city_. Bring it back from the dead." He dropped his sword and sat down on the hood of an old abandoned car. "We would clean off all the blood from the streets… and this city would be alive again… full of hope."

Ruby was audience to Wash's speech, she looked to everyone else and saw the same defeat in their eyes that Wash had. "Hey!" She shouted at them, "Don't-Don't just give up!"

Wash looked to Ruby with slight anger in his eyes, "Well, what would you have us do, Ruby?"

"Do?" Ruby was shocked to be asked that. "Do?" She then started to get fed up with people giving up and giving in around her. "Here… I'll show you!" She said as she stabbed Crescent Rose's blade into the ground and walked over to the dead grass in the park. She then dug her bare hands into the blood soaked soil and snow.

"Ruby?" Yang asked in confusion to what her little sister was doing.

Ruby ignored her sister and continued to dig. Once she reached far enough in the ground, she then reached for her pack on her left hip, opened it, and pulled out one of the acorns she had. It was one she had hoped to plant near her mother's grave. First she showed it to everyone, and then she placed it into the hole she made.

"What is that?" Winter asked in confusion.

Ruby then covered the hole with the same bloody dirt she dug out. She then wiped her hands together to clean them off the red dirt and then pulled her scythe out of the ground. " _That_ is a promise…" She said as she pointed her blade at the loose dirt.

Everyone stood in shock to her answer.

"Under all that blood and dirt… There is a chance for new life in this city…" Ruby said as tears started to well up in her eyes. She may have sounded like she was angry, but she looked like she was about to cry. "I know it sounds stupid… I know it sounds childish… But what else can you do!?" She shouted. "What can you do when you're faced with _DEATH_?" Ruby pointed to the battle down the street, "What can anyone do? You go on living." She finished with tears dripping down her eyes.

Yang's heart sank as she started to tear up herself. She walked up to her sister and hugged her tight; Ruby returned the hug in kind.

Weiss and Blake started to feel the same way as their partners and joined in the hug; mostly because if they hadn't now, they might not get a chance to later. They even allowed Penny in; but not for too long because she was squeezing harder than the others. Once she let go, all the girls started laughing.

Glynda couldn't help but smile. _"A 'smaller soul'? More like the biggest one here."_

Wash started to feel his courage return, he picked up his sword and looked to Winter. She looked to him with the same confidence he had. They weren't ready to give up just yet.

* * *

(Beacon Front Gate)

Everyone gathered all the bullets, loaded their weapons, and fastened their armor for battle. While Jaune was reloading one of his magazines, Coco walked up to Jaune with her duffle bag, the one full of C4.

"Here you go." Coco said, "You know, Jaune…" She sounded uneasy, almost confused, "they only way this plan can work is if we set off something loud. Loud enough to even make the Grimm stop in confusion."

Jaune knew that an explosion wouldn't get their attention; they didn't have enough explosives to do so. They needed something loud, and could give everyone here the courage to continue the fight. Jaune's eyes widened as he remembered that there was something that could do just that.

"Hey, Velvet." Jaune said as he looked to her with a smile, "I think it's past time we graduated."

Velvet looked at him in confusion; she turned away as she tried to understand what he meant. Everyone else in the area had absolutely no idea was he was talking about. He could see that a light bulb went off in her head as she looked back to him and smiled.

* * *

(Beacon Court Yard)

All the Sky Knights did as they were ordered. They formed up along the walls of Beacon. As the soldiers were backing up to the gate, they formed one more War Wall, only there was a large hole for the gate.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Tucker shouted as they finished setting up the War Wall.

The Grimm formed a living wall of Grimm-Orcs with their claws out and fangs at the ready. When they are given the order, the will go with fangs and claws out.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder looked over the balcony; she was getting excited to see the end to the Sky Knights. She turned back to face Pyrrha and saw that she wasn't looking.

She turned her face away, shutting her eyes tight.

"Turn her face over here! I want her to see this." Cinder demanded.

Two Shadow Troopers grabbed Pyrrha by the shoulders. One of the troopers moved her chin so that she was looking over the battle while the other forced her eyes open until she gave up and opened on her own.

Pyrrha started to cry as she was being a forced witness to slaughter.

Cinder turned to the battle and held up her control bracelet to her face. "Wait for it… Wait!"

From up at the top of the tower, they could hear all the Grimm growling and snarling, getting riled up for the fight.

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

From where Carol was standing, she could see that there was a super-sized Deathstalker behind the front lines. It was twice the size of a normal one, and had two stingers.

She then saw a few super Ursa move up from the Grimm lines and stood at the head of the horde. They growled and stomped on the ground, ready to fight.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

"NOW! KILL THEM ALL!" Cinder shouted.

Pyrrha closed her eyes again as more tears dripped down her face.

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

The Grimm then began to charge. Then a loud horn went off through every single PA speaker throughout the school. It echoed throughout the courtyard, through the field, and even could be heard from the city.

All the Grimm halted their advance instantly. They were confused to the loud noise and were stunned.

All the Sky Knights were completely surprised by the sudden loud horn, and were thrilled that it had stopped the Grimm.

* * *

(City of Vale)

The horn reached the city, and resonated through the buildings. The Grimm in the city had the same reaction to the horn as the ones on the battlefield.

Glynda looked up in complete shock and confusion, "The Graduation Bell?"

"That's coming from Beacon…" Weiss exclaimed. She remembered that she found it prior to Atlas arrival, but was surprised that it was going off now.

"Jaune…" Ruby said with a smile.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Pyrrha's eyes shot open in shock. She looked to see that the Grimm had stopped. _"What is going on?"_

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

Right when the horn ended, the front gates were blown off their hinges, again. As the doors were sent flying, they landed on some of the front lines of Grimm. In the wake of the explosion of pink smoke, a group of nine huntsmen and huntresses ran out shouting.

At the lead was Jaune, who had his sword and shield out, and had his whole body glowing bright. His light even shot through the clouds, almost like spears, allowing the sun's rays to shine again.

To the left of Jaune: first was Ren with his blade pistols out and pointed down range, then Nora with her hammer at the ready to smash something, then Sun with his weapons in their nunchuck/shotgun mode, and Neptune with his rifle out.

To the right of Jaune: Coco was first with her bag in her right hand as they ran, then Fox charging with his blades out and ready to slice Grimm like butter, then Velvet ran out with her holo-bag projecting Penny's many blades, and Yatsuhashi running out with his sword over his shoulder.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

When Cinder saw Jaune spearheading his company out of Beacon, she couldn't believe her eyes, "Impossible!" _"My mistress predicted wrong?"_

Pyrrha saw Jaune charge out, and when she saw him, her tears of sadness turned to joy as she smiled. "Jaune…"

Locus and Mercury let go of Pyrrha out of shock. They were completely in awe over the power Jaune had to make his armor glow to the point it almost resembled the sun.

Emerald was surprised beyond belief. Form what the others said about the knight she knew he was powerful, but to be this powerful was almost unbelievable.

Neo couldn't help but feel worried. Jaune scared her away in under a minute, and now he's running head first into a hoard of Grimm.

* * *

All the Sky Knights were shocked Jaune and his company's sudden appearance. Carol was surprised to say the least. She looked around to see that her troops stood taller and more confident; they had gained new spirit. "GO! GO! FOLLOW YOUR COMMANDER!"

All the troops cheered and shouted as they charged right behind Jaune and his company. The knights made a formation right behind Jaune and his company, making a wedge down the middle of the army.

Jaune ran as fast as he could, 'spearheading' the counter attack in the center of the wedge. He shouted at the top of his lungs right before he reached the horde, "FOR VAAALE!"

Just as the armies were about to clash, all the large Ursa that were in front were either shot in the head or blown to pieces by the Mantis mechs before they could attack the Sky Knights or Jaune's company.

Jaune ran into the horde, swinging his sword around as hard and as fast as he could. At one point, he sheathed his sword into his shield and drew his pistol. He fired ten shots high-ex shots, blasting away Grimm by the dozens. He even fired an armor-piercing shot through the armored head of a large Creep.

Ren fired his pistols first then slashed his way through the horde, he even encountered a large Grimm that resembled a King Cobra; just as it came down to strike at him, he swung his blades up the beast's mouth, fired down hit's throat as it hissed in pain, and then ran up its head and stabbed it right where it's skull met the spine, killing it.

Nora swung her hammer and smashed everything in her way; she mad more damage when she blasted herself upward and fired a few grenades at any Grimm that weren't fighting on the front line yet.

Sun activated his semblance and sent his 'light-clones' against an a few Beowulf-Orcs; all three took down at least a dozen, each.

Neptune first fired his rifle, then switched it to its triton mode and stabbed a minor Ursa through the chest as it was charging at him and electrified it until it disintegrated.

Coco swung her bag around, breaking a few skulls, and then she opened her mini-gun up and mowed down a lot of the horde as it was charging at them.

Fox moved fast, slashing and bashing any Grimm that got close enough, he even kept a few Grimm off Coco while she was using her mini-gun.

Velvet swiped her 'holo-blades' across the field, she then changed the blades into their 'cannon' mode, and blasted a large hole in the horde.

Yatsuhashi swung his massive sword hard on the ground, making a shockwave that knocked a few dozen Grimm off their feet; he then proceeded to cut down the larger Grimm like Ursa or Creeps.

* * *

(City of Vale)

Ruby and the others ran to an overlook that gave them a few of Beacon's courtyard and saw the counter attack. Ruby was the most happy to see Jaune leading the army into this battle, against the Grimm.

"The knights… They're rallying?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"They're rallying to their leader." Ruby said with a smile.

"To their _Star Knight_." Glynda added.

Glynda then felt a bit of encouragement to press on, keep fighting. She then looked down to the militia, whom were still sitting in the park, with hopeless expressions on their faces. Wash was among them, after Ruby's speech, he wanted to fight, but he didn't know what to say to the people to get them to join him.

Glynda stood tall and proud and called out to the militia below, "Now comes the hour of our doom… We only have one question to ask ourselves now… 'HOW SHOULD THIS DAY END?!'"

Some of the men felt that she was right. It was no secret that they would die today; all that remained was how you died.

Wash looked to them all and spoke. "To any of you who want to give what you have left for this city... for your families… FOLLOW ME!"

As Wash ran down the street, towards the Atlas barricade, all the militia shouted in agreement and followed him.

Ruby looked to the others; they all nodded in agreement, and then jumped off the overlook to join the militia into the fight.

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

Neptune and Velvet double teamed a Deathstalker as it was charging at them. Neptune fired his rifle at its face, distracting it. While Velvet formed a holo-hammer and smashed a few of its legs before it could react. The beast swung it's pincers at her before she could break another leg. Neptune then formed his trident and stabbed it in between the armor plates that connect its left pincer and main body. As the beast was being electrocuted, Velvet jumped up high, and then slammed her hammer down on the beast's head, crushing it.

Yatsuhashi and Sun took on a large Creep that stood taller than an Ursa. Yatsu first cut its right arm off. Before it could retaliate, Sun and his light-clones attacked and overwhelmed the beast. While it was distracted, Yatsu ran at it as fast as he could and stabbed it in the chest before it could react.

Nora and Coco fired their long range weapons and blasted away Grimm by the dozens. Nora then switched her to her hammer, Coco switched to her bag, and they both charged into the horde swinging hard and fast.

Fox and Ren were moving so fast they couldn't be seen, but you could see their handy work. Dozens of Grimm were being slashed, shot, or even smashed before they could join the fight with the rest of the horde. Fox and Ren had to stop to catch their breath, and when it almost looked like they were about to be attacked by Grimm before they were ready, a few Cyclops mechs shielded them.

Jaune swung his blade so hard, he was cutting Grimm-Orc's heads clean off, some were even cut in half by the waist.

Carol switched between her blades and SMG's faster than you could blink. She would slash a few Grimm-Orcs one second, and then gun down a couple more the next. Tucker was doing his best to keep up; he also did his best to coordinate the knights as they were advancing.

Caboose lead the Mech's along the sides to keep the Grimm form out flanking them. With him in the 'Freckles' mech, they were able to smash and blast any Grimm that tried.

* * *

(City of Vale)

Just as another wave of Grimm-Orcs were making their way into the Causeway and smash against the barricade, the barricade opened up and the Miltia froze their advance in an instant.

RWBY, Penny, Glynda and Wash were at the front and were mowing down the majority of Grimm while the Militia kept them from getting overwhelmed.

The Miltia fought with a new spirit, if they were going to die that day, then they were determined to make the Grimm pay for it first.

* * *

(Beacon Courtyard)

As the Sky Knights started to catch up with Jaune and his company on the front lines, Jaune turned to his company and gave them a signal. They all nodded in agreement. _"Now that phase one is over, on to phase two."_ Jaune then looked around and then saw his sister. "Carol!"

Carol was fighting three Beowulf-Orcs at the time he called out to her, "Jaune… Hold on a sec, I'll be right there." She then tumble rolled under two that were standing side by side, slashed their legs and then as she got back up, she stabbed them in the back with her back to them. The third Beowulf came at her with its fangs out, she roundhouse kicked it in the jaw, sending it to the ground hard.

Carol then looked to her brother, "Hey little bro… What took you so long?" Just before he could finish, the Beowulf got back up to attack again, but Carol stabbed it through the chest before it could strike. She quickly pushed it off her blade with a smile on her face.

Jaune couldn't help but chuckle, he'd missed his sister since he left for his mission. And seeing her now, made him feel a lot more confident that they would win.

They both hugged each other tight, with their weapons still in their hands. Once they let go, she pointed her finger at Jaune's face, "Now that is something that I haven't seen in a while."

Jaune continued to smile and nod his head, "Yeah, yeah…" Jaune's smile went away when he asked her in a serious voice, "What's our status?"

Carol's face then became serious, "We're down to 2/3 of our infantry. We have at least half of both mech divisions. Were down to half a dozen armored vehicles and we only have two Scorpion tanks left. This advance may have just given us only a few hours but we're going to get overrun. Whatever you have planned, I hope it's good."

Jaune then looked to the Spire, "Yeah, it is… I'm going to finish what I set out to do."

Carol turned around to see what he was looking at and was actually shocked to find the Spire there. She focused on the top of the tower and saw an orange glow, "Cinder Fall."

Jaune spoke again, "I'm going to go and kill that _bitch_!" Jaune hissed with anger.

Carol turned right around and had worry in her eyes, "Jaune… You can't do this! We need you here! You're the Star Knight!"

"You know full well that's _why_ I have to do this! It's my duty, Carol!" Jaune countered.

Carol rolled her eyes, "Ok, fine." She then pointed one of her blades at the tower, "But how the hell do you expect to get to the Spire on your own?"

Her questioned was answered by the loud horn form an oncoming armored vehicles. She and Jaune looked to see the _Grizzly_ driving up to them and Ren arriving on Jaune's bike.

Jaune walked up to his bike as Ren got off and jumped on top of the Grizzly. Jaune first placed his shield onto the handle bars while he kept his sword in his left hand.

The rest of the company was in or on the _Grizzly_ ; Yatsuhashi was sitting in the driver seat, Neptune was in the passenger seat with his rifle at the ready, Coco, Fox, Sun, Ren, Nora and Velvet were on top, holding onto belts that were strapped to the outer armor of the tank.

Yatsuhashi revved up the engine with a little bit of excitement on his face. Nora was the most excited out of the group, she even shouted right before she giggled, "I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS!"

The rest of the company couldn't help but chuckle by Nora's outburst of joy.

Jaune then revved his bike, and rode off while shouting, "ONWARD TO THE SPIRE!"

Yatsuhashi released the break and floored it, "Hold on guys!"

"You're all crazy!" Carol shouted as the tank rode past her, "I love it!" Carol looked to her not so little anymore brother as he rode off to fulfill his destiny. "May our family's light protect you, Jaune."

* * *

Jaune was at the lead. He had his sword out, and was already forming a barrier over his bike. He shouted to Yatsu when the Grizzly caught up, "Stay behind me!"

Yatsu nodded in agreement and slowed down to be right behind Jaune's bike.

They cleared the front line and were about to encounter the next group of Grimm-Orcs that hadn't joined the fight yet.

With Jaune's barrier over his bike, he plowed right though the hordes like a snowplow. As the _Grizzly_ began to plow through and making a larger hole than Jaune's bike, the rest of the company on the tank opened fire on the horde as they were riding through them.

They were even laughing and cheering as they were blasting, shooting and cutting down Grimm like mowing the lawn.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Mercury was the first to snap out of his shock and saw the company riding through the horde. He could tell where they were going, "He's coming… He's coming here!" Mercury looked to Cinder who was still in shock. He shook her by her shoulder, "Did you not hear me? Arc is coming!"

Pyrrha couldn't see Jaune form her angle, but hearing that he was made her feel ten times better than a few minutes ago.

Cinder quickly woke up from her shock and saw that Locus was right. She quickly moved her right arm to her faces and shouted, "KILL THAT TANK!"

"The tank?" Locus asked in confusion. "Tell them to kill Arc."

"He's bringing them here only because he knows he can't win on his own. If we take out his little friends before they get here, he won't even bother to try." Cinder said with a little hope in her voice.

* * *

Down in the battle, a few Ursa that weren't engaged in the battle looked to the Grizzly as it was about to pass them. They all charged at the tank as it got closer.

"We've got incoming!" Coco shouted as she spotted the Ursa coming at them.

Neptune looked to see that she was right, but then he looked to the row of buttons on the main console. He saw some of the ones they had already pressed, but there was one red one that had an image that looked like a blade. He didn't remember anyone ever using it, now might be a good time to use it, "Let's see what this does."

Right when he pressed the button, large blades came out of the wheels of the tank; similar to the old 'Scythe Chariots'. It began to shred the Grimm-Orcs around them as they were cutting through the horde. Yatsuhashi looked to the blades, and had an idea about the Ursa. He turned the tank right at the Ursa, and floored it. "Keep them from hitting us head on, I'll do the rest!"

Just as they were about to clash with the Ursa, Nora fired her grenades at an Ursa that was about to come at them.

All the Ursa that came at the sides were all slashed up and torn apart down low by the scythes. And when the Ursa ahead of them went down, the tank actually got propelled up like the Ursa was a ramp. As they went up, the scythe blades continued to spin and decapitate and shred all the remaining Ursa that were coming at them.

Once they hit the ground the cheered, Nora then hugged the top of the tank and said, "I love this thing!"

Neptune and Yatsu looked at each other and smiled. "This is an older model?" Neptune asked with a laugh.

Coco looked to their right and saw something very large ahead. It was the supersized Deathstalker coming right at them. "DEATHSTALKER! 10 O CLOCK!"

Everyone looked in the direction she shouted and saw the beast coming right at them. Yatsu reacted fast and turned the wheel hard right. "HOLD ON!"

The Grizzly turned hard, almost flipped over, but managed to stay on all eight of its wheels. They rode off course was heading for the river that paralleled their course. Just before they landed in the water, Neptune quickly pressed the 'hover-mode' button.

The scythes on the wheels retracted and the wheels rotated downward and activated their thrusters just in time before the tank could touch the water. Yatsu kept his foot on the accelerator as they rode down the river. They were stuck in the river, the land that leads to the river were too steep for the tank to climb, even in hover-mode. They had no choice but to stay on the river until they could get to a not so steep exit. This didn't trouble them that much, considering that they were still on course for the Spire.

Jaune rode up next to the edge of the land that met the river. "You guys ok?" Jaune shouted.

"Where fine!" Ren shouted back.

Just before Jaune could say anything more, Velvet shouted to everyone, "HE'S BACK!"

Jaune glanced back and saw the Super-Deathstalker was right behind them. It was wide enough for its legs to reach both sides of the river, allowing it to chase after the Grizzly.

Jaune was about to attack the beast, but got side tracked by a horde of Grimm-Orcs blocking his path. He drove away from the river and readied himself for collision with the horde. _"They can't take that thing on alone."_ Jaune reached for is radio, "Hey, Caboose…"

* * *

As the Super-Deathstalker was chasing them, it attempted to stab the Grizzly with both of its stingers every few seconds.

Coco and Ren were in the middle of reloading, leaving Neptune the only one able to shoot at the beast as it chased them. Neptune stood from his seat in the front and aimed his rifle at the beast as it chased them. "Shoot it!" Coco shouted to him.

"Where?!" Neptune asked as he was trying to line a shot.

"Aim for his jambags!" Nora shouted.

 **(AN: Sorry, couldn't resist.** **;)** **)**

Neptune rolled his eyes, lowered his rifle and looked to Nora as he shouted back, "IT'S A SCORPOIN; IT _DOESN'T_ _HAVE_ ANY 'JAMBAGS'!"

The beast made ready to shoot its stinger again, this time it looked like it would hit them. "FIRE NOW!" Velvet shouted.

Neptune lifted his rifle up and fired at the closest stinger, blowing it to pieces. They cheered at first when the beast looked like it was backing off, but then it started running at them faster. It readied its second stinger for a strike.

Just as the stinger was about to come down on them, a missile flew right for it and obliterated it. They all looked to see the Super-Mantis, 'Freckles', running right at it.

 _"Get away from my friend's friends!"_ Caboose shouted through the speaker.

As the Mantis mech body-slammed the scorpion, it knocked it away from the river, keeping it away from the company.

Everyone looked to see the Mech fight the beast, "GIVE HIM HELL, BIG GUY!" Coco shouted with joy.

The Deathstalker pushed the mech off of it and hissed at him. "Freckles! Eliminate him." Caboose said in his slightly low toned voice.

 _"Lethal force: Authorized."_

The mech fired its weapons at the scorpion, the bullets did little damage, but the rockets proved to be more effective. The beast charged at the mech and locked claws with the mech's arms. "Freckles, shake."

The mech lifted its right leg up and slammed it on the scorpion's head, crushing it. The scorpion's body went limp, and disintegrated.

"Good boy." Caboose said with a joyful voice.

* * *

As the Company continued down the river, they discovered that there was a Goliath acting as a make-shift bridge for Grimm. It appears that they were attempting to use the 'bridge' for them to outflank the cities defenders.

There was no way around, and that beast was causing problems for the city by just standing there. The company didn't need any convincing to attack it.

Everyone pointed their long range weapons at the beast and opened fired on it. Coco with her mini-gun, Ren with his pistols, Nora with her grenade launcher, Neptune with his rifle, Sun with his shotguns, and Velvet with 'holo-gauntlests' similar to Yang's.

They practically unloaded everything they had on that monster, and it didn't seem to damage it too much.

"COME ON YOU SON OF A BITCH! DIE!" Coco shouted as she fired everything she had at the creature.

Jaune rode up alongside the edge of the river and saw what they were shooting at. He sheathed his sword into his shield and drew his pistol. He aimed his sights on the main body, made the bullet into an high-ex shot, and fired.

The bullet exploded on the beast's body, breaking open its armor, and allowing the companies bullets and grenades a way into the creature.

It bellowed and wailed in pain as all the bullets and explosions went right through it. It then started to fall on its side, away from the tank.

Seeing an opportunity, Yatsu floored the accelerator right up when they reached the beast's legs, and rode up its body like a ramp, out of the river.

Right when he was sure they were out of the river, Yatsu turned off the hover-mode and landed on all eight of the wheels.

Jaune rode up next to the driver seat, "You guys ok?"

"We're alright!" Yatsuhashi said back.

"We're right behind you." Ren added.

Jaune nodded and revved his engine hard and took the lead. He plowed through one last horde of Grimm before they reached the bridge that would lead to the Forever Fall forest.

As they were crossing the bridge, another horde was coming up behind them. Most likely to out flank the city like the others were before.

Nora armed her hammer, and looked to Neptune, "Charge me up." He switched his weapon into trident mode and let her gold onto the blade. She charged up enough, she then jumped straight up and slammed on the bridge, cracking it all the way across.

As soon as Nora finished her attack, she looked up to see a holographic outline of Blake's weapon. It was the scythe pistol coming right for her; she grabbed onto it and was pulled back onto the Grizzly by Velvet and Sun.

All three turned the bridge as they reached the other side. The bridge then broke apart under the pressure of all the Grimm, and due to it being compromised by Nora's attack.

"Hopefully that helps out the city." Ren hoped. As did everyone else on the tank

* * *

(City of Vale)

Just as a normal sized Deathstalker was plowing its way through the defenders, Weiss stood in its way. She formed her 'summoning' glyph, and summoned a large knight.

The scorpion shot it's stinger at the large white knight. The knight caught the stinger with its left hand, and then sliced it off with its sword. The beast then attacked with its claws, locking them with the knight's sword. Then a few Beowulf-Orcs and Creep-Orcs came out of nowhere and began to swarm the knight.

Weiss then formed a 'time dilation' glyph under her, Blake and Ruby. And they all then cut down the Grimm that were swarming the knight, allowing it to finish off the scorpion.

The knight broke free of the scorpion's claws, cut off one of them, and then stabbed straight down the body, killing the beast in one blow.

Weiss looked up to her knight and smiled as it disappeared.

"Now that was awesome!" Ruby shouted with amazement.

Weiss smiled to her, and turned to see her sister behind her.

"I'm glad to see that you've grown." Winter said with a proud smile.

Weiss smiled back at her sister.

* * *

The bridge between the Industrial and Commercial district was about to be breached. Sarge was standing on top of a tall building, looking over the bridge with binoculars. "NOW!"

Down near the gate, Griff and Simmons pressed separate detonators; igniting explosives along the bridge. The bridge's columns exploded one at a time, like dominos. As it exploded all the Grimm on the bridge were either blown to pieces, or sent into the purifying water to be melted away.

"HAHA! That was beautiful, you two!" Sarge said into his radio.

Down at the gate, Griff and Simmons looked to each other, "You know, I'm actually seeing the benefit of doing things now." Griff said with a somewhat surprised voice.

"Really?" Simmons asked with shock.

"Nah." Griff said with a complaining moan.

* * *

Glynda was standing near the river and saw the explosion, with the bridge gone; they can now focus their _all_ defense on the Causeway. She started to feel some hope, "We may yet survive this."

As Ruby and the rest of their team finished off another pack, they were now clear. The Miltia and Atlas soldiers took the lead, giving them a few minutes to catch their breath.

Ruby decided to go up one of the buildings to get a good vantage point, that way they could know where they are needed to go next.

Once they reached the top, Ruby saw the Grizzly drive into the Forever Fall forest. "Guys, look!"

Everyone looked to where Ruby was pointing to and saw the Grizzly and Jaune riding through the forest. It was easy to spot Jaune; his light was shining through the trees.

"It's Jaune." Ruby said.

"And the rest of the company. He's taking everyone." Blake added.

"To do what?" Yang asked in confusion. "Where would they be going?"

"To cut the head off the snake." Glynda said as she looked to the Spire in the distance. Everyone else matched her gaze; they were shocked at first that Jaune would make such a risk. But they understood why; without Cinder in command, this army of Grimm would fall apart fast.

* * *

(Spire Fortress)

Cinder looked down to the forest and saw Jaune's light shine between the trees. She growled in anger, and then quickly turned to the rest of her group.

She pointed to Pyrrha and said, "Take her back to her to the garage and ready to transport. And take her to my mistress; I'm sure she'll know what to do with her." Two Shadow Trooper guards grabbed her and walked her to the elevator. Cinder then looked to Locus, "Kill anyone that tries to stop you."

Locus nodded to Cinder and walked to the elevator. Cinder then turned to Neo, "Go with him."

Neo nodded and walked over to the elevator behind them. Emerald started to get worried for Pyrrha; she ran behind them and hopped into the elevator right before the door shut.

Cinder then turned down to the ground below, _"No matter what,_ you _will not win this day."_

* * *

Jaune and the company were riding up the forest trail that leads to the Spire. They were already getting shot at by the guards on the outer walls. The Grizzly was taking a beating from the guns, but it was still driving on hard and strong.

Jaune and the others started firing at the gate, hoping to break it open before they reached it. The gate was too strong; any damage they made grew back.

"It's no use! And the _Grizzly_ can't punch through that!" Yatsu said.

Velvet moved to the front, held her hands out and formed a brand new holo-weapon. The light from her pack formed the outline of the M68 Gauss cannon. "Someone hold me, Wash said this thing has a big kick."

Yatsu slowed down a bit, giving Velvet more stability, while Coco and Ren held her back. The holo-cannon charged up and fired. The round flew fast past Jaune and impacted with the gate, making a small hole. "BOOM" Nora shouted with joy.

Jaune slowed down enough to be right next to the tank, he grabbed onto the tank and pored some of his power into it. The power flowed from his arm, into the tank, then up to Velvet and into her pack. "Fire again!" Jaune shouted.

Velvet fired another shot, this time it had a bigger kick that almost pushed her off the tank, if it wasn't for her friends holding her.

The round that fired from the cannon was twice the size of the original and flew faster. It impacted with the gate and obliterated it. The explosion's shockwave knocked a lot of the guards inside the tower off their feet.

Despite still being under fire from all the guard towers and troopers along the wall; the company's way into the fortress was open.

* * *

(City of Vale)

Qrow arrived to a battle. He rode his horse head first though the Grimm and made it into the city. The soldiers saw Qrow and let him pass them by as he searched for his friends.

He rode through the streets until he found Glynda and his nieces. "GLYNDA!"

All the women looked to see Qrow ride in on a horse, they were shocked and glad to see that he was ok.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted as she ran up to him. She hugged him tight but quickly let go when he groaned in pain. "Sorry."

"Qrow? What the hell are you doing here? You should be resting!" Glynda said with irritation in her voice.

"We have a problem. Ozpin told me that there is another army coming!" Qrow said with a very serious voice. "Adam Taurus is leading the armies of the White Fang here form Mount Gundabad. They'll be here soon."

"What?" Blake asked with the most shock. _"He would actually bring our people into a battle like this?"_

"Gundabad?" Glynda's eyes widened to the full realization to Salem's plan. "This was what she planned this whole time: Cinder attacks both the armies of Vale and Atlas, weakening us, and then Adam comes in from the north and finishes us off."

"Wait, you mean the whole White Fang army is coming? From where?" Yang asked in both shock and fear.

"The north… Forever Fall forest, and the Spire." Weiss said as she came to the realization herself.

Everyone looked to the tower, realizing that Jaune and the rest of the company were walking into a trap.

"Jaune's up there!" Ruby exclaimed.

"The whole company is up there!" Blake added.

Everyone began to fear for their friends. Yang looked to Winter, "You think you can send a squad or something up there to help?"

"I'd have to get authorization from the general first in order to do that." Winter said with a worried look.

"Then let's go ask." Glynda said with a little bit of a hiss in her voice.

* * *

(Atlas FOB)

When the Grimm broke into the city through the causeway, they hit the FOB first. There were dead bodies all around the main yard, and bullet casings spread out as much as the snow. General Ironwood was standing right in the middle of it. He was starting to get this feeling, a feeling he hadn't felt since the battle where he lost his arm.

An Atlas soldier walked up to him, "General… The Wall has fighter/bombers on standby. They say that they can give us a good bombing run, but it'll take too long for them to reload and do it again so soon. They're waiting you're your call. What are your orders?"

Ironwood slowly looked to the soldier, "Call off that strike and sound the retreat… We're leaving." He sounded sad, almost scared, and angry.

The soldier slowly nodded and grabbed his radio to relay his orders.

As Ironwood walked out of the FOB, Glynda and the rest of the group met up with him.

"General, send a squad to the Spire. Jaune and his company are about to be overrun!" Glynda said.

"We need to warn him!" Ruby added.

Ironwood looked to Ruby with a death glare, "Oh, by all means warn him… I'm done trying to help a lost cause." He passed them without another word.

"James!" Glynda shouted.

"We'll go!" Ruby exclaimed.

Glynda and Qrow turned to Ruby and the rest of her team, along with Penny. "You'd never make it." Glynda said.

"Why?" Yang asked as she crossed her arms.

"Because you'd never get there in time." Qrow said. He wanted to help, but if they didn't have a way to get there in time, then it would all be for nothing.

"I'll take care of that." Penny said as she ran after the general.

Just before Ironwood got too far, three swords struck the ground right in his path. He looked up to see Penny lower herself down to block his path. "Get out of my way, Lieutenant."

"You are not going to just run. Not this time." Penny said with anger burning in her eyes.

"Why do you care?" Ironwood said with a cold voice, the look on his face showed that he was pretty much out of patience.

"Arc and his company will be slaughtered." Penny said.

"Yes, and it will be your fault. I tried to help him before but you set them lose, and now look what that brought us!" Ironwood said with anger in his voice. "Clearly you took more damage to your CPU than we had predicted."

Just as Ironwood was about to walk around her; six blades shot out of her backpack and pointed at him. The Atlisian knights pointed their rifles at her, ready to fire if need be, while Team RWBY pointed their weapons at the soldiers in response. It appeared to be a standoff.

"You think just because you are a general that you know what is right for all of us? But have no heart for others... You have no heart, at all." Penny said with her whole face burning with rage.

Ironwood turned to his right a little; he then pressed a red button on his synthetic arm. When the button was pushed all of Penny's blades succumbed to gravity and fell down to the ground, she tried to move them but couldn't. Ironwood drew his pistol and pointed it at Penny's head.

"What do you know of the heart? NOTHING!" Ironwood said with a death glare, "What you think you feel for Rose and her friends is not real." Penny quickly looked to Ruby as he said that, but then back to the general.

"You are just a weapon… nothing more than a combination of ones and zeros encased inside a titanium skull." Ironwood pulled the hammer back on his pistol, "You think you know of the heart? You don't even have one."

Ironwood could feel his own finger squeeze the trigger, but it was stopped when a sword rested on his gun and made him lower it down. "And yet... she is more human than you will ever be!"

Ironwood looked to see who lowered his gun; he was more than surprised to find Winter at the end of that sword. She gave him the coldest glare she has ever given a person, and it actually made Ironwood feel sick.

Winter then turned to Penny, and pressed a button on her scroll. Right when the button was pressed, Penny's blades came back online. She retracted her blades and put them all back into her back pack.

Winter and Penny walked up to Team RWBY, "My Bullhead still works; I can fly us there."

"I'm going with you." Qrow said as walked up to Ruby and Yang.

"Qrow!" Glynda sounded like she was about to lecture him but was stopped by Qrow's next comment.

He pointed to the sword over his shoulder. "This needs to get to Jaune before it's too late." Glynda backed off; she knew that he was right.

Ruby nodded and then all of them ran to where Winter parked the Bullhead.

With them gone, Ironwood was still paralyzed by Winter's comment towards him. He felt so guilty and so hurt. Many people have called him 'heartless' or 'cold' for years, and he'd just brush it off like it was nothing. But to be called that by one of his best soldiers hurt him deep.

Glynda walked up to the frozen general and looked him in the eye, "James, when Geppetto passed he didn't just give you his _'greatest weapon'_ … He gave you his _daughter_. Tell me, which part of her do you think he'd have wanted you to value more?"

Ironwood looked to Glynda with shock in his eyes; they then turned to sadness in recognition to her point.

The same soldier from before walked up to Ironwood, "General, we're getting a report from the wall. There's a woman that wants to speak to you. She said something about owing her husband a big favor."

Ironwood and Glynda looked to the soldier in confusion. Glynda then remembered what one of her old teammates once said about 'calling in favors', and then smiled to the general.

* * *

 **AN: Hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I did.**

 **For those of you who don't know who 'Geppetto' is, he's Pinocchio's father. Since Penny is based off Pinocchio, I thought it'd fit.**

 **Please Review on what you thought of this chapter.**

 **Next one comes out next week.  
I plan to write it in a different fashion, mostly because it's easier to write it that way for you to understand what's happening. Don't worry; I am only doing it once.**

 **See you next week!  
R&R**


	27. Battle(s) at the Spire

**Battle(s) at the Spire**

* * *

 _"I am not afraid… I was born to do this."_

 **—** **Joan of Arc**

 **AN: I thought it was appropriate for his chapter.**

* * *

 **AN:** **100 FOLLOWERS SPECIAL!**

 **This chapter is going to be one of my longest ones, because a lot happens at once.  
So, I made this chapter in three separated points of view because it was a lot easier that way. A lot happens in this chapter in a short amount of time and I didn't want to risk leaving anything out. **

**All three points happened simultaneously; so you'll notice moments that are similar to one another.**

 **Sorry if it confuses you, but it was the best way to write this particular chapter, without it getting confusing, that I could think of.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(Update: This chapter has been edited and updated by "Breakawayfan")**

* * *

 ** _Jaune's POV:_**

(Spire Fortress)

As the company blasted their way into the main courtyard of the fortress, they were quickly greeted by Shadow Trooper mercenaries.

As Jaune rode into the hole that they made, his bike's front tire were shot by a trooper sniper. Jaune was then flung off his bike forward. He jumped off, grabbed his shield and landed just before his bike could land on him.

He then raised his shield and blocked a bullet that was intended for his head. He peaked behind his shield to see that the sniper was in one of the towers, on the outer wall of the fortress. The guard tower looked about 20 stories tall.

He could hear the Grizzly pull up; he saw them open fire on the other troopers that were either jumping down from the walls or coming out of the Spire itself.

Jaune sheathed his sword and drew his pistol; he powered the bullet enough to make it a 'high-ex round' and fired at the guard tower. The bullet flew to the tower and blasted off a part of it, the shockwave form the blast made the tower crumble over and land outside the wall.

Ren, Fox, Velvet, Sun and Yatsuhashi fought off any trooper that came at them for a melee fight, while Coco, Neptune and Nora blasted away any that were on the wall or standing in the windows of the Spire.

He looked around to see that there were no sign of any other snipers in the other two towers, _"Well, they didn't expect us to get here anyway."_

Jaune turned to the others as they finished off the troopers they were dealing with.

Fox slashed a trooper across the chest right before he punched him hard enough to hit the wall and crack it. "Mercenaries… I prefer White Fang." Fox said with a disappointing voice.

"Well, I'm sure they're up in the tower too." Coco said as she pointed her mini-gun to the Spire.

Everyone looked up to the 50 story tower; from their point of view, it almost looked empty. No light coming out of the windows, no sign that there was anyone there at all, but they all knew without a doubt that there were enemies inside.

"Well, we'd better get up there." Sun said as he formed his staff.

"No. you're not." Everyone turned to who spoke. To their surprise, it was their leader. "I'm going in alone."

"Like hell you are!" Coco said.

Jaune turned to them all, "You are all going to stay down here, defend the tower from any Grimm that may come, and make sure no one comes up behind me."

"Jaune, we came all this way with you! We're going to finish it with you!" Nora shouted. She was getting scared. She just got Jaune back, and now she was afraid of losing him again.

Jaune kept his serious face as he spoke, "No, you are going to stay here. That is an order from your leader!" Jaune then turned around to enter the tower.

Ren ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back around, "You can't go up there alone, its suicide!"

"Damn it, Ren! I am not going to lose any more of my friends to her, got it?!" Jaune snapped with anger and sadness in his eyes.

Ren could see it; Jaune knows it was suicide, and he also knows that if they go with him, there's a chance that Cinder may kill one of them before he could stop her. Ren then looked down to see that Jaune was holding the duffle bag full of C4 that Coco gave him not too long ago.

They both broke eye contact when more troopers were running towards them from the opposite side of the courtyard.

Ren clenched his teeth and gripped his fist tight; he looked to Jaune and spoke in an angry tone, "Give them hell."

"I intend to." Jaune said as he let go and ran into the tower; leaving the company behind to watch his back.

* * *

At the top of the tower, Cinder could see Jaune enter, alone. Cinder then turned to Mercury and the rest of her guards. "Go down to the lower levels… Slow him down and wear him out."

All the guards nodded and made their way to the stairs. Just before Mercury left, Cinder called to him. "Not you Mercury."

Mercury turned to her, "When he gets up here, I want you to make sure no one else arrives to spoil our fight."

"So do you still want me to help wear him down?" Mercury asked.

"No, hide in one of the lower floors. When he reaches your floor, don't let him see you, and then make sure no one else comes up behind him to interfere." Cinder said with a very serious voice.

"You got it." Mercury said as he saluted to her.

* * *

Jaune was forced to use the stairs instead of using the elevator. He sprinted up the stairs with no sign of slowing down, he didn't seem tired yet. His aura was keeping him at peak strength as he was running up the stairs.

Just as he reached the 17th floor, he heard a loud crash, and saw that the stairwell above him was gone.

For a minute there, he could have sworn he heard a Bullhead's engine fly over his head.

He exited the stairwell and ran to the one on the opposite side of the building. As he was running, multiple Shadow Troopers attacked him. They all had machine guns and battle rifles.

They had Jaune pinned down behind a pillar. Luckily for him, the pillar repaired itself after it was impacted by a bullet.

Jaune first sheathed his sword and drew his pistol. He then came out form the pillar, lifted his shield up to block their bullets, and then fired multiple high-ex rounds. The blast from the explosions blasted all the troopers out of the room and through the wall behind them.

Jaune then continued his assent up the tower.

* * *

When Jaune reached the 24th floor, White Fang burst through the windows and into the room he was running through. He fought them off; they proved to be armatures compared to him, especially when he was using his light-enhanced weapons to destroy theirs.

He was able to scare them off. He didn't want to kill them; he remembered when Blake told him that they were just people who were wronged for so long that they thought that _this_ would make things better.

Jaune then felt the tower shake a little, almost as if something hit it. Once the shaking stopped, Jaune ran to the stairwell again.

He had enough of people stopping him or slowing him down. He sheathed his sword, collapsed his shield and hooked it on his belt. He then put his aura around his legs and feet and sprinted with all his might up the stairs. He ran so fast, he could give Ruby a hard time in a race.

Once he reached the top floor of the stairwell, it ended on the 49th floor. He exited the stairwell and found that there was no one in there to stop him this time. The floor appeared to be empty.

Jaune reached over his shoulder and laid down the bag of C4 he brought with him.

* * *

Jaune ran up to the roof and found Cinder sitting on her throne, waiting for him. Jaune looked above Cinder and saw Pyrrha's shield imbedded in the black glass throne; seeing this made him even angrier towards her.

"I've been waiting for you," Cinder said as gave him a devious smile. "Where are the rest of your friends? Got too scared to face me?"

"It's just you and me…" Jaune said as he pulled his shield off his belt and opened it.

"That's how it's going to be, is it?" Cinder taunted.

"That's how it _should_ be," Jaune retorted. He then drew his sword and formed his battle stance.

Cinder only smiled at Jaune's attempt to seem intimidating towards her. She knew not to underestimate him in his abilities to break through her aura's defenses; however, Jaune hadn't shown her how skilled he was with a sword. She'd never faced him in sword combat before, and for that, she'd be fighting him with a little more caution than she did when she fought Pyrrha back on the tower.

Just as Cinder stood up, her throne shattered into pieces. She then rose her hands up, spun around and then directed her hands towards Jaune. All the glass fragments followed her hands and then flew right at Jaune. As an added bonus, she even unleashed a massive wave of fire in the center of the barrage of glass.

Jaune quickly reacted and raised his shield up to block the fire and glass shards. His shield and arm were holding fine, but the force from all the shards and fire was pushing him towards the balcony and to the edge. Pyrrha's shield was among the glass shards and bounced off Jaune's shield. When it bounced off his shield, it went up and then landed to his left side on the balcony floor.

Jaune quickly sheathed his sword and drew his pistol. He then fired a few shots in Cinder's direction. He couldn't peek over his shield to aim because he didn't want to risk getting hit by one of the shards.

Jaune missed twice, but the third shot hit Cinder's glass hand. When the bullet impacted with the hand, it exploded, knocking her away a few feet.

Once the barrage ended, Jaune charged forward, holstered his pistol and pulled out his sword.

Cinder was able to stay on her feet, and quickly formed a new hand out of the glass in the floor. She then looked ahead to see Jaune charging at her.

Cinder formed her dual swords and then crossed them together to block Jaune's downward slash.

Cinder was holding Jaune in place with her blades; she was genuinely surprised he was making her use her blades. When she faced Pyrrha, she didn't need to because of the fire barrier she put over herself. But when Jaune managed to cut her arm off not too long ago, he proved that his barrier was as powerful as hers, maybe stronger.

"I have to admit, you're proving to be a greater challenge than Nikos." Cinder said with an arrogant tone.

Jaune's grip on his sword got tighter as he put more force on his blade. He then realized that he wasn't going to beat her in this blade lock. Jaune then swung his shield towards Cinder and hit her across the chest with the edge of it.

Cinder was caught off guard by his use of his shield and was sent a few feet away from him. Now that they had distance between each other, Cinder put her blades together to make her bow. Using her maiden powers, she levitated herself a few feet higher and the fired three shots towards Jaune.

Jaune raised his shield, expecting the shots to hit. But when they didn't impact his shield he was confused. He then looked down to see that all three arrows were in a triangular formation around him, with him in the center. Jaune then notice the ground glowing.

All three arrows exploded and send Jaune flying a few feet. Once he got back up, he saw Cinder pointing her bow at him again. "Not this time." Jaune stabbed his sword in the ground and drew his pistol.

Cinder quickly responded by letting lose three more arrows.

Jaune aimed his pistol and fired three shots. Every bullet hit an arrow before they got close. Cinder fired another arrow, this time aiming for Jaune's throat.

Jaune saw the new one coming right for him; he aimed his pistol, put a little bit of aura into the bullet and fired.

The bullet and the arrow were about to collide. Cinder was expecting the arrow to break apart around the bullet and rebuild itself on the opposite side. But instead, the moment they bullet impacted with the arrow, it exploded.

The light from the explosion blinded Cinder, but not Jaune because he was expecting it. Using Cinder's temporary blindness, he charged at her at full speed.

Once Cinder's eyesight returned it was too late. Jaune was two feet from her and too close for her to react in time. Jaune swung his blade to cut Cinder's bow in half and then hit her in the chest with the edge of his shield.

Cinder was knocked off her feet and onto the ground. Jaune let his shield fall out of his hand, stood over Cinder and reverse gripped his sword in order to stab Cinder.

Cinder quickly caught the sword just a few inches from her chest. Her glass hand was holding the tip while her right hand was holding the middle of the blade.

Jaune had both his hands on the sword, pushing all his weight into the thrust. Cinder could see the pure rage in his eyes; he'd been waiting a long time for this.

Jaune was so focused on looking at her in the eye when he stabbed her that he didn't notice Cinder's right hand was glowing orange. Since his blade wasn't glowing form his aura, it didn't have a protective/enhancing barrier around it.

After a few seconds of holding him back, Cinder then squeezed her hand and broke Crocea Mors in half.

Jaune backed up in order to prevent him falling on her. Luckily when he backed up, Cinder through the end of the sword that was still in her hand towards him. The blade just barely missed his face before it went flying away.

Jaune backed off a few feet; he looked at the broken remains of Crocea Mors in his hand.

"You were close." Jaune looked and saw Cinder stand back up with an arrogant smile on her face. "But not close enough." She then let lose another wave of flames at Jaune.

Jaune tumble rolled to his shield and grabbed it on his way back up. He started taking steps back as he blocked Cinder's flames.

Behind Cinder, she heard people climbing onto the roof with grappling hooks. She looked to find the White Fang Lieutenant (The one with the saw) along with five other heavy fighters.

"Ah, Lieutenant." Cinder said with a smile. She ended her blaze and turned to the large Faunus.

Jaune looked up to find Cinder walking over to a group of White Fang heavy hitters. _"What the hell? Where did they come from?"_

"Report?" Cinder asked casually.

"The army will be here in less than an hour. We got here early because we didn't want to miss the battle." The Lieutenant then looked to Jaune, "And it looks like we got here just in time." He then looked to Cinder, "Orders?"

"Army? Oh, no, the others!" Jaune cursed himself for not seeing the possibility of a trap.

"Kill him." Cinder said coldly, she then turned around, formed a small glass chair and sat in it. "Or at least keep him occupied until I decide to join in." She finished with a smile.

She couldn't tell because he was wearing a mask, but the Lieutenant was smiling. He then pointed towards Jaune as he said, "Kill the human!"

All six of the large Faunus charged at Jaune. With only his shield, pistol, and what was left of his sword, Jaune felt he had a chance… but it would be difficult.

The first one to charge at him was a Lieutenant with two single-handed axes. He swung them fast and with fury. Jaune moved his shield to block every blow. Using his speed advantage, Jaune maneuvered around the large man's body and slashed his left thigh and stabbed him in the back with the broken sword's edge. The man kneeled down and grunted to the pain.

Before Jaune could do anything more to this Lieutenant, another came at him with a war hammer. Jaune raised his shield and energized it. When the hammer impacted with the shield, it shattered like glass. Jaune then swung his shield across the second Lieutenant's face, sending him a few feet away. When he landed, he landed head first against the wall, very hard. It didn't look like he was getting back up any time soon.

Jaune was then tackled by a third Lieutenant. When they both landed, Jaune was underneath the Faunus. Jaune looked up to find that this one had brass knuckles. Just when he was about to punch Jaune, Jaune drew his pistol from under the man, and shot him three times below his left thigh. One of the shots went right through his thigh and through his left shoulder. The man shouted in pain, clutched his left leg and fell to his left.

Jaune then saw another Lieutenant coming with a large axe. He was charging towards him, and was half way down in the swing. Jaune quickly rolled to his left and dodge the axe by a few centimeters. Just as Jaune was about to get up, but was stopped when he had to duck form a chainsaw.

The two Lieutenants were doing their best to not let Jaune stand back up by making him have to tumble around to avoid their large weapons. After what felt like the 20th time trying to avoid their large weapons, Jaune drew his pistol and shot at the leader's chainsaw engine. The engine began to stall and stop.

This time when the large axe came down, Jaune had a chance to block with his shield. Jaune pushed the axe off by enhancing his arms with light and pushing with all his might. Pushing the axe off almost threw it out of the Lieutenant's hands; he had to take a few steps back in order to keep it in his grasp.

Jaune then aimed his pistol at the Faunus he pushed back, but then his pistol was knocked out of his hand by a short sword. The blade almost cut his hand. Jaune turned to see the last Lieutenant to begin his attack on him.

Jaune tried his best to block the Faunus' blades with his shield and broken sword, but was proving to be too slow. Jaune's shield started to feel heavy, his body was beginning to get warn out. The Lieutenant caught Jaune off guard when he swung his blade upward and slashed across his right eye.

Jaune grunted in pain and backed up. He put his hand over his eye; blood was dripping down form below his eye and right where his eyebrow is. _"Oh, no. If I'm bleeding, that means my aura reserve is low."_

He could feel that his eye was still intact, but with all the blood flowing over it, he couldn't see at all through it. Jaune looked down to the snow below his feet, grabbed a handful and pressed it against his eye.

Jaune did his best to dodge their attacks as he was pressing the snow against his eye. He had to back up a lot, almost to the balcony. There were four Lieutenants left; the leader with the chainsaw, the one with a large axe, and the one with the two swords. All the others were either unconscious or were crippled by Jaune.

Jaune then stood up tall; he wiped the red snow off his eye and opened it to see. The ice over the wounds wouldn't stop the bleeding, but it would slow it down enough for him to see. Jaune then made as best a battle stance as he could, showing that he was ready to continue the fight.

The three remaining Lieutenants charged at once. Jaune first dodged the large axe as it was coming down. Jaune swung his shield down, energized it, and broke the poll the axe was attached to. Jaune then swung his shield upward, hitting the Lieutenant in the face, shattering his mask.

Just as Jaune was about to turn to face whoever came at him next, he felt a pinch in his right side. He looked own to see one of the short swords form the third Lieutenant was in his side.

Jaune quickly retaliated by switching his broken sword into a reverse grip and then stab it into the Lieutenant's chest. Jaune pushed the Lieutenant away after the blade went through his armor, causing him to fall back, pulling his blade out of Jaune's side.

Jaune was about to pull the blade out of the Lieutenant's chest but had to let go of his sword to dodge the leader's chainsaw. Jaune ended up having to back off from the leader, backing up to the balcony.

Jaune put his hand on his side, the wound wasn't deep. It appears that some of his aura was still healing him, but not enough to heal all the wounds, only the most fatal ones. Thinking about it, it made sense; his aura was healing all of his more critical wounds over minor ones.

Jaune looked to the last Lieutenant as he was coming at him fast. Jaune drew his pistol and aimed for his engine again. Just as Jaune was about to fire, an arrow went into the barrel of his gun and exploded. Jaune was pushed back to the guard rails to the balcony, breaking them off in the process. He looked at his hand to find that his Desert Eagle pistol had its barrel blown off. He looked to see where the arrow came from and found Cinder standing there in the background, holding her newly formed bow, and waved at him with a devious smile.

Jaune then had to raise his shield to block the Lieutenant's saw as it was coming down on him. Jaune held his shield up as the Lieutenant repeatedly slammed his saw against the shield. Jaune was forced to his knees; his body had become weak and he could feel the enhancement barrier on his shield breaking down. Jaune pushed the Lieutenant when he was pressing down on the shield, but was quickly kicked in the chest hard.

The Lieutenant's kick hit Jaune hard enough to make Jaune loosen his grip on his shield. Jaune fell on his back, with his head hanging over the edge. After he landed, his shield was knocked out of his hand and fell of the edge of the balcony.

Jaune tried to reach for it before it fell but it was already too far for him to reach. He heard the chainsaw roar up behind him, he turned back around, formed a barrier over his hands and blocked the sawblades. Sparks were flying as the chainsaw blades were scratching against his barriers.

Although it was working at first, Jaune's barriers were beginning to crack under the weight of the chainsaw. Jaune could feel the blades getting closer to his hands.

The Lieutenant then raised his saw one more time; this looked to be the final stroke. One more hard swing and he'd be cutting through Jaune's chest with his saw.

Jaune felt helpless. He was a Star Knight. He had great power, but used it all up trying to get up the tower, only to be beaten by a Faunus terrorist. Seeing that the end was about to come, Jaune closed his eyes. _"I'm sorry Pyrrha… I failed…"_

Jaune could hear the engine roar louder and louder. Just when Jaune thought it was the end, he felt a gust of wind, as if something flew just above his head by a few centimeters. After the gust, he could hear the chainsaw's engine die down.

Jaune opened his eyes in shock. And what he saw surprised him beyond belief.

* * *

 ** _Team RWBY POV:_**

 **(Less than an hour; just when Jaune and his company reached the Spire.)**

(City of Vale)

Winter was able to get the Bullhead off the ground and turned towards the Spire. The armor plating was buckled, but it held together. They didn't have to go far, but if they were to get into a fight, the plane wouldn't last long.

Yang mounted the left side machine gun and fired at the hordes of Grimm as they left the city. She shouted with joy as the machine gun fired non-stop.

Qrow and Ruby both looked to each other; Qrow smiled at Ruby and said, "She's got _a lot_ of your father in her."

Ruby smiled in agreement.

"Spire in sight, hold on!" Winter said into the intercom.

The Bullhead flew towards the Spire and hovered over the rest of the company as they were fighting the Shadow Troopers.

Ruby, Weiss, Qrow and Penny jumped out of the plane first and aided in the fight. Blake and Yang stayed on the plane in case the big guns were needed.

"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Ren asked, although he was shocked, he was happy to see her and the rest of her group.

"There's another army coming. It's coming from the north." Ruby said with worry in her eyes. "We need to leave now!"

"What army?" Coco asked.

"White Fang… All of them." Qrow said as he was catching his breath. He obviously didn't fully recover and still needed time to heal.

"Damn it! Jaune's already going up the tower now! We can't leave him!" Nora said with worry and anger in her voice.

Everyone looked worried; they didn't know what to do. Then they heard vehicles coming in from the other side of the wall, to the north.

"Guy's we got incoming!" Yang shouted into her radio. Everyone down below heard her and looked to the north gate.

The north gate opened and White Fang troopers rode in on armored vehicles and bikes.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!" Ruby shouted as she pointed to the new arrivals.

Everyone charged in and engaged with the White Fang.

Yang and Blake opened fire on the White Fang. Winter turned the plane so that she could shoot the main gun at them.

Blake's eyes were blinded by a glare to her left. She turned to the opposite side of the Bullhead and saw a man holding a rocket launcher come out of a window. "ROCKET!"

Winter looked and saw the man with the launcher. The rocket fired and headed right for the Bullhead, Winter turned hard to dodge the rocket, but the rocket turned back around and hit the right engine.

"We're going down!" Winters shouted. "GET OUT NOW!"

The Bullhead's left engine collided with the side of the Spire, making a large hole that went down diagonally through four floors; form floor 19 to 14. Blake and Yang jumped out of the plane right after the impact.

Blake jumped into the tower and landed on the 17th floor, while Yang jumped out of the opposite side of the plane and landed on top of one of the guard towers.

Weiss saw the Bullhead go down and feared for her sister. The Bullhead went down on the northern side of the wall. The whole company ran to the plane, while fighting off any White Fang that got in their way.

More White Fang arrived and attacked the company. While most attacked, others used 'grapple-gauntlets' and climbed up the Spire.

Sun saw the White Fang go up; with both Jaune and Blake in the tower, they'd be outnumbered by all the Shadow Troopers and White Fang soldiers. _"To hell with his orders!"_

Sun turned to Neptune, "Come on, Jaune and Blake are going to need back up." Neptune nodded and followed Sun into the tower.

* * *

In the tower, Blake was still on the same floor she landed on. She was then greeted by some White Fang's that were climbing up the tower with their grapples.

While she engaged them, she cut off any grapple cables that lead higher than the floor she was on.

She was faring well, until she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hello, Blake."

Blake turned to find the red haired samurai standing in the hole in the building.

Blake gripped her sword tight, "It's not too late to switch sides…"

"My loyalty is to our people, whom you abandoned for the humans." Adam said as he slowly drew his blood red sword, and held it in his normal battle stance.

"Your 'loyalty' is to your rage… And I want no part of that." Blake said as she held her sword at the ready

They both then charged at each other fast and their blades clashed.

* * *

On top of the guard tower, Yang tried to help by shooting down White Fang troopers as they were climbing up the tower.

She fired nonstop at the Lieutenants that were climbing up using grappling hooks. She shot a few down, making them fall or forced into the building through the windows, but six other Lieutenants were out of range before she could shoot them down.

Yang then saw Weiss and Penny make their way to the down Bullhead. She provided the girls with cover fire as they were searching the wreckage for Winter.

* * *

Blake had her sword in katana mode and charged at Adam. Adam unsheathed his sword half way and blocked her first attack. "I'm so glad I could catch you before you could run off again." Adam said with an arrogant smile.

"I'm not running this time." Blake said with rage filled eyes.

"That's what you said last time. What makes this day any different?" Adam asked as he pushed Blake off his blade.

Blake back flipped twice and fired three shots from at Adam. Adam blocked all three shots, making his hair and his blade glow. "Because this time, I have a reason to stay!"

 **(At this point in the fight, the song 'From Shadows' would be playing.)**

Blake ran towards Adam. She changed her sword back into Katana mode and engaged in a sword fight with him. She was fighting more ferociously, and with more intent to hurt Adam than she did during the Fall of Beacon.

Adam was actually amused by her change in attitude towards him. "Well now, no more holding back, eh?"

"You crossed the line when you took my partner's arm, and I'm going to make you pay for that!" Blake said as she swung her sword harder and with more intent to hurt Adam.

Despite her obvious intention to harm, or even kill Adam, he was toying with her. At one point when she left herself wide open, he pointed his shotgun/sheath at her chest and fired, sending her back a few feet.

"Come on, Blake, I taught you everything you know." Adam said as he sheathed his blade, "You'll have to do better than that." He teased.

Blake started to get aggravated, she was getting nowhere in this fight, and she could tell that he wasn't even trying.

* * *

Sun and Neptune were making their way up the stairwell. When they reached the 15th floor, there were massive chunks of glass on the stairs, which blocked any way up, even if they jumped across the stairs. They were forced to exit the stairwell and find another way up.

"This way." Neptune said as he blasted the door that lead into the floor they were on.

Once they exited, there were a dozen Shadow Troopers in the room. They looked like they were getting ready to attack everyone outside.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sun groaned.

The Shadow Troopers started shooting at them. They ran to two pillars and hid behind them as they were being fired upon.

Sun looked out the window and saw more White Fang troopers grappling up the side of the building. He then looked to Neptune, "We need to keep moving up!" Sun shouted over the gunfire.

"You go, I'll cover you!" Neptune said as he changed his weapon into its rifle form.

Sun nodded. When they heard the gunfire stop, and the sound of the troopers reloading, they both got out of their cover.

Neptune shot his rifle rapidly at the troopers while Sun ran as fast as he could for the window.

Once Sun broke through the window, he grabbed onto a White Fang Lieutenant as he was going up.

As soon as Neptune was sure that Sun was clear, he backed off to the stairwell and made his way back down. He knew he couldn't follow Sun up the tower, but at least he could keep these troopers off him.

The Lieutenant was confused by Sun's sudden appearance. He tried to punch or push Sun off him, but their constant shifting made them swing. Eventually, they swung into the hole in the side of the tower that the Bullheads made; they were on the 18th floor.

* * *

Blake was still getting her but handed to her by her former mentor/boyfriend.

"It almost makes me sad. To think that you were once a great warrior, now you're no different than the rookie you used to be." Adam said after he kicked her away from him.

"At least then, you were likeable." Blake attempted to anger him, which proved successful.

Adam charged up his sword and charged at her at fast. Blake barely had enough time to avoid his attack with one of her shadow clones. She reloaded her pistol and used some of Weiss' dust bullets. _"I never did use these when we were together."_

Adam came at her again with a few diagonal slashes. Right when he was about to hit her, Blake fired her pistol and left behind a flaming clone. Adam was at point blank with the clone when it exploded in his face.

He backed off, waving the smoke away from his face. Once the smoke cleared, Blake came at him again. He pointed his sword forward in a stabbing motion; he intended to force her to perform one of the moves he taught her. But when it didn't go as he intended, Blake fired her pistol and formed a stone-clone of her, encasing Adam's blade in it. Adam tried to pull his sword out, but it wouldn't budge.

Blake then jumped up high, turned her pistol into its pistol form and swung it in a forward saw motion with it attacked to her ribbon. She used the pistol's recoil to swing down hard. Adam pointed his shotgun up and shot Blake just before her weapon hit him. The blade was about an inch form his face before he fired.

Adam quickly fired at the stone-clone, shattering it and freeing his blade.

Blake was blasted across the room; she hit the ground and slid to the hole in the wall the Bullhead made. She quickly grabbed onto the edge of the floor, holding on for dear life.

There was no floor below her, and her weapon was just out of her reach. She looked to see Adam slowly walking towards her, his blade was scraping across the floor.

* * *

Two floors above, Sun was taking on a Lieutenant all by himself. This Lieutenant had gauntlets like bear claws. Sun swung his staff to block any attack he attempted.

He quickly switched to his nunchuck/shotguns and started shooting. Sun overwhelmed the Lieutenant and got two shots on him, one in the left shoulder, and the other in his right knee.

Once the Lieutenant went down, Sun heard an explosion below him. He ran to the edge of the floor and saw Blake dangling on the side of the building. He then saw Adam walk up to her.

* * *

Adam looked down to his former student/girlfriend with disgust, "You had so much potential."

He raised his blade up, just as he was about to swing, he heard a shout from above. He and Blake looked up to see Sun come down and kick Adam right in the face.

Adam was hit hard; he tried to stay on his feet as best he could while trying not to fall out of the hole.

Sun landed just a few feet away from Blake. He was about to help her up but was cut off by a red bullet fly between them.

Adam looked to Sun with rage all over his face. He was so enraged he didn't bother talking.

Sun swung with full force and fury against Adam. After everything he had done to Blake, plus what he did to him, Sun was furious.

Every hard swing Sun made towards Adam, Adam blocked with ease. Despite Sun's speed and fury, he wasn't able to land a blow on Adam.

Blake tried her best to climb back up, but she couldn't grip on anything without getting cut by the glass.

Adam started to up the ante when he started using his shotgun against Sun. Sun was having a hard time as it was when he was just using his sword.

Adam shot Sun's staff out of his hand when Sun was half way through a swing. Sun jumped over Adam and grabbed him in a behind head lock. Adam struggled to get free; he broke free after he shot Sun's left foot.

Blake saw Sun scream in pain. She was getting scared. She looked to see that her weapon was within arm's reach, but she would have to pull herself up a little further to reach it.

Adam turned around, grabbed Sun's neck with his left hand, and pulled back his right hand to stab Sun in the chest. "The fate of all traitors is _death_." Adam whispered as he pushed his blade forward.

Right before the blade made contact with Sun's belly, it was pulled away. Adam turned to his right arm and found that it had been wrapped around by a black ribbon. He looked to see Blake on the end of the ribbon, with her hands bleeding.

Adam was about to pull his arm free, but Blake pulled with all her might to bring Adam over to her. Adam lost his grip on Sun as he was pulled towards Blake.

Once Adam reached Blake, she grabbed onto him; she shouted as she tugged on him and pulled him over the edge. They both fell to the floor below.

* * *

Yang was still on the tower, providing Weiss and Penny with fire support as they were getting Winter over to the Grizzly to be patched up. Yang looked at her gauntlets and saw that all her shells were used up; she then emptied her gauntlets

Before Yang could reload, she heard shouting to her left. She looked to find Blake and Adam falling down to the 15th floor.

Once they both landed, Blake landed on her back, while Adam landed on his face a few feet away from her.

Blake didn't look like she was conscious. She wasn't moving, at least, not that much. Yang felt a sigh of relief that her partner was still alive. But her relief was cut off when she saw Adam stand back up.

Yang quickly reached for her next set of belts, but the ones she wanted were missing. She had completely exhausted her supply of 'long range' shots, the only kind she had left were the 'short range burst' rounds.

She looked to Adam as he was walking over to her partner. She grabbed the short range burst rounds, put them on her gauntlets like she always does and jumped backwards.

She fired a few shots at the middle of the tower, weakening its structural integrity. The steel rebar on the opposite side were holding, but the ones on her side were broken by her blasts. She then fired behind herself to propel her forward. Once she made contact with the tower, she pushed it forward to pin it against the Spire.

The tower pinned itself into the 14th floor, while the steel rebar on the other end was still holding, for now.

* * *

Adam looked to the loud explosions and the sudden collision between one of the outer towers to the Spire. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. Once he saw who was responsible for the explosions, he started to make a devious smile.

He walked over Blake and walked onto the side of the tower like it was a bridge.

Adam and Yang stared at each other. Yang had eyes of rage while Adam looked amused.

"I must admit, you have the flare for the dramatic." Adam said with a smile, he then made his battle stance. "Ready to lose the other one?"

"When I'm done with you, you're going to need _more_ than a new arm." Yang said as she walked towards him with her fists up.

 **(At this point "I Burn" would be playing!)**

Yang knew that she wasn't going to win this fight like she would normally. This would be the fight to truly test her might.

She would fire a few shots at Adam, but he would block it with his sword. Every time his sword would get hit by her shots it would glow brighter. Yang almost didn't dodge a diagonal swing; he was moving faster than before. Right when she stood back up, Adam kicked her hard in the chest.

Yang tried to get back up found that Adam right over her. He was about to strike but was stopped when his right arm was pulled backwards. The look on his face showed that he knew immediate who it was.

Yang looked behind him and saw Yang with her ribbon wrapped around his arm again. Adam quickly turned his blade and cut the ribbon, luckily Yang was already out of the way when his blade came down.

Yang moved around Adam, picked up Blake's sword and handed it to her when she walked up to her.

"Glad to see you're awake." Yang said with a half-smile.

"Wouldn't miss this fight for the world." Blake replied.

Adam pulled his blade out of the ground, and turned to them both. "Just how many partners do you intend to have, Blake?"

"I only need one… And it wasn't you." Blake said as both she and Yang charged at Adam.

Blake blocked Adam's first swing, while Yang punched him a few time in the chest. He was pushed a few feet away, but it didn't appear to hurt him.

He came at them again, this time he blocked Blake's blade with his, and pointed his shotgun at Yang's chest.

Adam shot five rounds at Yang's chest rapidly. Blake didn't seamed scared as she jumped away from Adam. He looked to Blake in confusion, then to Yang. His attack against her proved to be a mistake.

Yang's eyes started to glow red, and her hair stared to glow as well, she looked to Blake and gave her a nod. Blake nodded while she tied the ribbon that was cut back together, getting ready to help Yang however she could.

Adam's blade was still glowing bright red; he made the exact same stance he had when he took her arm.

Yang first shot forward, propelling herself away from Adam and the 'bridge'. Blake quickly threw and fired her pistol past Adam and reached Yang before she was too far out of range.

Right when Yang caught the gun, Blake pulled hard with all her might, while Yang fired rapidly towards Adam at almost break neck speed.

Right when Adam's bright red blade collided with Yang's power punch with her mechanical arm, it shattered like glass. Adam's disbelief and shock was all over him, right up until Yang uppercut punched him in the face, shattering his mask.

Yang quickly then fired straight down, propelling herself upward, past Adam, and then punched in him in the chest, straight down.

Adam was launched downward fast. He first went right through the bridge and made a small impact crater in the ground below.

Yang was now free falling; she didn't have enough time to reload before she would hit the ground. She then saw Blake's pistol fly past her. She grabbed it and was pulled into the tower safely.

Once she landed next to Blake, they both looked at each other with smiles. Yang then got curious. She walked over to the edge and looked down to the impact crater that Adam was in the center of. "You think he's alive?"

"Maybe." Blake said with a less than amused look on her face. "I've known him to survive _almost_ as worse."

The 'bridge' then started to break apart into large glass pieces and land all around him, and a few landed on both of his arms.

"Well, I don't think he's getting up any time soon." Yang said with a smile.

Their moment of victory was interrupted when they heard a loud shout below, and then something fly upward nearby. Yang saw it fly up the tower, whatever it was; it was glowing bright.

* * *

 ** _(J)NPR's POV:_**

(Spire elevator)

From the elevator, Pyrrha, Emerald, Neo and Locus could hear gunfire and a loud explosion. First was they heard the sound of gunfire and then they heard Bullhead engines outside. They then heard what sounded like a Bullhead's engine exploding.

"Sounds like your boyfriend is here." Emerald said. She made it sound like she was teasing Pyrrha, but in reality, she was trying to give her a little hope.

Neo and Locus didn't care what Emerald had to say, they just cared about following their orders.

* * *

(Courtyard, North Gate)

With the Bullhead gone, the others had to fight the White Fang on the ground. Ruby, Ren, Nora and Team CFVY were fighting in the main courtyard while Weiss and Penny went to help Winter.

They did their best to keep more of the White Fang from climbing up the tower behind their Lieutenants. They focused their defense on the gate and tried to push the White Fang out of the courtyard, so far, it seamed to work.

* * *

(Main Garage)

The Garage was on the ground floor. Once they exited the elevator they saw two armored trucks and a few motorbikes. Locus pushed Pyrrha out of the elevator; Emerald and Neo followed them out.

Once they were within a few feet from the first truck, Emerald stopped.

Neo looked to her in confusion. Emerald looked to Neo and gave her a face full of guilt; despite how they met, they started to become friends over the years. Emerald didn't want to do this, but if she didn't she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I'm sorry, Neo." Emerald said as she drew her pistols and opened fire on Locus.

Locus barely had a chance to react. If it weren't for Emerald's apology, he wouldn't have gotten out of the way in time. He pushed Pyrrha into the truck while jumping behind the second truck.

Emerald turned and shot down the ceiling above the second elevator, keeping the rest of the Shadow Trooper guards form coming out.

As soon as Pyrrha stood herself up, Emerald ran over to her. Pyrrha raised her cuffed hands to Emerald as she opened her blades on her weapon to cut the handcuffs off, but then a bullet flew between her and Pyrrha.

Emerald pushed Pyrrha away from her as more bullets flew towards them. Emerald ducked behind one of the motor bikes.

"I had a feeling you were going to betray us." Locus said as he was reloading his battle rifle. "You must have some solid stones for thinking that you could betray Cinder and get away with it."

"Yeah, well… I think I've seen enough chaos for one lifetime." Emerald said as she jumped out of cover and ran towards Locus at full speed.

She opened both her blades, released them to spin on their chains and then swung them both at Locus. He first used his battle rifle to block the blades. He then fired five shots at Emerald, missing every shot.

Emerald used her semblance to make him think that she was running directly at him, while the real her was coming at him from the side. She readied her blades and swung at his helmet, scratching close to where his visor was.

Just when Emerald was about to turn around and hit him again, Locus pulled out a flashbang grenade and ignited it right in her face while he covered his eyes. Emerald was blinded by the bright light and didn't have a chance to dodge a hard kick in the chest, sending her into the garage door.

Neo was just standing there; she didn't know what to do. If she helped Locus, she'd be fighting someone she grew to care for. If she helped Emerald, she'd be a traitor along with her.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, was quietly getting into the truck closest to the garage.

Locus slowly walked over to the blinded Emerald, "You could have been a part of our new world."

"Why are you so heartbroken? You're just a mercenary… here for the money." Emerald said as she slowly stood up.

"NO! That's what you and Taurus believe… But I'm really here because Salem promised me a new beginning." Locus said as he pointed his rifle at Emerald's head.

Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, they both heard a truck start up behind Locus. Emerald then jumped away from the door as one of the armored trucks hit Locus and plowed through the garage door.

The truck drove outside, through the courtyard and right into the inside of the outer wall.

The truck's engine turned off, the driver seat was kicked open, and Pyrrha jumped out. "Next time, don't leave your keys in the vehicle, someone might steal it."

Emerald ran out of the garage and ran to Pyrrha, "Nice move."

"Thanks." Pyrrha said with a smile. But her smile vanished when the truck was pushed away from the wall and slam into the side of the Spire.

They both looked to see Locus standing there, his body appeared to be undamaged by Pyrrha's surprise attack. However, a small crack in his visor revealing his left eye, and just by looking at it, you know that he was furious.

* * *

Ren heard a loud crash not too far from the north gate. _"More White Fang must be coming from over there!"_ He turned to Nora, "Nora, there may be more over there. Let's go!"

"Got it!" Nora shouted in agreement.

They both then ran to where the loud crash came from.

* * *

Ren and Nora arrived to find a man with black and green armor; he was facing towards someone on the other side of an armored truck. They couldn't see who it was, but whoever it was, they needed their help.

Ren attacked first by sweeping underneath him, slashing at his legs. Nora ran at him and hammered him in the back, knocking him down.

They both focused on Locus so much they didn't even see Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was caught completely off guard that they were there. She was about to call to them, but just as she was about to utter a word, Emerald pushed Pyrrha down. Pyrrha looked up to find that Emerald pushed her out of a sword's way while it swung toward her.

A Shadow Trooper holding a short sword attacked Emerald. She blocked his attacks with ease and blasted him away.

Emerald quickly slashed the cuffs of Pyrrha and helped her to stand. When Pyrrha stood, they both heard windows crash and glass shatter. They looked to see more Shadow Troopers coming out of the windows.

* * *

Neo walked out of the hole in the garage and saw the two new arrivals. She still didn't know what to do. The chance for them to succeed in what Cinder told them to do was no longer possible with two more hunters here to get in the way.

Neo's train of thought was lost when she heard a few crashes above her, a dozen Shadow Troopers jumped down from the floor above to join in the fight.

Emerald and Pyrrha attacked the shadow troopers, trying to keep them off of Ren and Nora while they were dealing with Locus. Emerald had her blades, while Pyrrha used a sword that she took from one of the troopers.

From what Neo could see, despite how they met, they fought together as if they were partners. Neo didn't know what to do.

Her anger was towards Rose for her involvement with Roman's death. But Pyrrha and her team mates had nothing to do with it. None of them even so much as tried to attack her in the past. Their leader could have killed her, but instead he told her to send a message. Had it been anyone else, they might have killed her.

She still had a look of confusion, but then when she saw Emerald fighting with all her might to protect Nikos

* * *

Locus was having a hard time fighting both Ren and Nora. They were fast and scored several hits, but his body didn't appear to be harmed by them.

Just when Ren was charging at him to try and slash him across the chest, Locus grabbed him by the throat, and then slammed him into the ground.

Nora swung her hammer and hit him right in the chest. He caught the hammer right on impact. Nora started to pull her hammer out of his grasp, but Locus appeared to have a good grip on it. He quickly ripped the hammer out of her grasp, punched her hard in the gut, and then roundhouse kicked her to the floor.

Locus was about to finish one of them, but two chains with blades wrapped around his body and pulled him back. He quickly glanced to see Emerald holding him.

First he turned around, pulled her in and grabbed her by the neck like he did with Ren, but instead of slamming her into the ground, he squeezed.

Nora was wheezing form being hit so hard. She'd been hit hard before, but Locus hit harder than a Paladin mech. Pyrrha ran to her and helped her sit up. Nora's eyes widened in disbelief and shock; she barely had enough breath in her body to speak, "P-Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha only smiled as tears went down her eyes and she held her friend close.

They both then turn to Locus as he was choking Emerald, "I guess new beginnings aren't for everyone." Locus said.

Just before he squeezed the life out of her, a blade stabbed him in left side. He dropped Emerald, she coughed hard. Locus turned to find Neo at the end of the blade. "You too?"

Neo was about to pull the blade out, but Locus grabbed onto her arm. His grip was so tight she almost lost circulation in her hand. Locus punched her in the face before letting her go. His punch made her slide all the way to the garage door.

A few of the troopers were about to attack Emerald while she was still gasping for air, but were stopped by Pyrrha. Even though she didn't have her shield, Pyrrha still fought with as much power.

As Pyrrha was fighting, Ren managed to get back up and saw her. He felt both disbelief and happiness. For years he could never shake the feeling that she was still out there. And now he knows that his gut was right. He quickly stood up and joined Pyrrha in the fight against the troopers.

Locus pulled the blade out and then got hit right upside the head with a metal hammer. Nora swung her hammer back around and hit him in the chest while setting off a grenade. Locus was then pushed into the outer wall again.

After another group Shadow Trooper was defeated by Pyrrha and Ren, they ran over to Nora to help her. Locus pulled himself out of the wall. Just as they all were about to attack him all at once, he raised his left arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

They all stopped when they saw that his left arm was glowing, indicating that he had a holographic screen on.

"One more step and that 'Tiara' blows your head off." Locus said as he looked directly at Pyrrha.

They all looked to Pyrrha's headband. Pyrrha remembered the threat Emerald made that if she tried to take it off, it'd blow up.

"You wouldn't dare. Salem wants her alive." Emerald tried to call out his bluff.

"She doesn't have to die. She's coming with me, or she dies here." Locus said as he raised his finger over the button that says 'Detonate'. "Now, put your weapons down, and _you_ come to me, slowly." He pointed to Pyrrha when he said 'you'.

Pyrrha dropped her sword and walked over to him slowly. A few troopers got back up and walked over to Locus, "What's the call boss?"

"Get the truck we're leaving." Locus said without breaking eye contact with the other hunters and thief.

Emerald had an idea, but it would be tricky. Luckily for her, that's her specialty.

Just as Pyrrha was about to be forced into the truck, Emerald shot at the trooper pushing Pyrrha. She hit the trooper in the leg, making him fall.

Locus looked to emerald, and then pressed down on the holographic button on his gauntlet. Everyone froze; nothing happened, except, the green light on Pyrrha's 'Tiara' went dim and then black.

Locus looked down and saw that the button that said 'Detonate' changed to 'Deactivate'. Locus looked up to look at Emerald.

"I told you I'd mess with your head." Emerald said with a confident smile, "He's all yours, Nikos."

Locus quickly turned to Pyrrha, right before he was flung to the wall again. This time, he was being held against the wall by an invisible force, almost as if his armor was keeping him pinned. He grunted as he tried to break his way out of the wall, only to be pushed further in.

Pyrrha was standing there, holding her right hand up towards Locus. Her eyes showed her fury and her anger. She used her magnetism to throw the 'tiara' away as she said, "I may not be the 'Invincible Girl' anymore…" She then raised her left hand towards the garage. "But I'm still the 'Warrior Princess'… Now be gone!"

Pyrrha then flung her left hand forward, ripping all the vehicles out of the garage, and throwing them all at him. All the trucks and bikes slammed into Locus, pushing him through the four feet thick glass wall and sending him flying into the river nearby.

After her sudden burst of power, Pyrrha had become weak and fell to her knees. Nora and Ren ran to her side.

"PYRRHA!" Nora shouted as she started to bawl. She hugged Pyrrha as tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall.

"By the Creator, I'm so glad you're ok!" Ren said as he joined in the hug.

As they were all embracing each other, Emerald turned to Neo on the ground. She walked over to her and helped her sit up.

Neo had a bloody nose and a black eye. She looked up to Emerald and slightly smiled.

"Why did you help? You had no reason to." Emerald asked.

"Friends look out for each other, right?" Neo said with a smirk.

Emerald only smiled as she hugged Neo, then helped her up. Once they were standing, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren looked at them.

"So _that's_ what her voice sounds like." Nora said with a childish voice.

* * *

Ruby and the rest of her group ran over the source to all the gunfire and explosions.

"Guys, are you ok? We heard explosions!" Ruby said as she ran up to them.

Ruby froze instantly when she saw Pyrrha standing next to Ren and Nora. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, which wasn't that far off.

"P-P-Pyrrha?" Ruby stuttered.

Pyrrha smiled and nodded her head. Ruby ran up to her and hugged her. "Oh my god… I thought you were dead."

Pyrrha held her friend close. "I'm not. I'm right here."

Ruby let go her and backed up, "Wait… I saw you die! How-?"

"Actually, that's my doing." Emerald said while raising her hand.

Ruby looked to Emerald and Neo, "YOU!"

Ruby was about to draw her weapon, but Pyrrha stopped her.

"Wait, if it wasn't for her, I'd never have gotten free."

Ruby turned to Ren and Nora; they confirmed what Pyrrha was saying.

The rest of the company, including Qrow, Winter and Penny, was in complete shock after seeing Pyrrha alive and well. Pyrrha looked to everyone; she was searching for one person in particular, but didn't find him.

"Where's Jaune?" Pyrrha asked with fear in her voice.

"Jaune?" Ruby said in confusion, "JAUNE!" Ruby jumped in shock, "OH MY GOD! Jaune needs to see you NOW!"

"Where is he?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby was about to answer, but then something metal hit the ground close by. They all ran over to the object and discovered it to be Jaune's kite shield. "Jaune's shield?" Ruby looked confused.

Ruby and Pyrrha looked up to see Jaune's head right at the edge of the balcony above. "JAUNE!" Ruby and Pyrrha shouted at the same time.

He didn't respond to their voices, he was too high. They saw sparkles shining above him, and the sound of a chainsaw engine in the background.

"Oh, no. He needs help!" Ruby said as she got ready to sprint up the wall. Qrow stopped her before she could try, "You'll never make it up there."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Weiss asked with a hopeless voice

Pyrrha looked up the tower and saw Jaune in trouble. She wanted desperately to help him, but there was no way she could think of that would work in time. Then she heard a voice. _'Take the sword'_

Pyrrha looked to where she believed the voice originated, she was looking at Qrow. She then heard it again, _'Take the sword'_. The voice almost sounded like Jaune's, but it was more mature, like a middle aged man. **(AN: It was Jonah's voice)** She looked down to the sword that was strapped to his belt.

Pyrrha quickly grabbed the sword and pulled it out of its sheath. Qrow looked at her as if he was looking at a ghost.

For a second there, he almost thought he had drank too much before this fight and was seeing things, but his thought was shattered when Pyrrha started to glow.

Pyrrha's body started to glow almost the same way Jaunes does. Only it was slightly dimmer. Everyone was shocked to see her glowing, while Qrow was speechless that she was able to pull the sword out of its sheath to begin with.

Pyrrha completely acted on instinct. She quickly held the sword in reverse grip and lined its blade upward towards the top of the tower. She then threw the sword with all her might, as well as a little boost from her magnetism.

The sword flew up the tower, breaking the sound barrier on the way up. And just when the blade looked like it was about to hit Jaune's head, Pyrrha curved the angel of its trajectory with her magnetic field and shot it into the White Fang Lieutenant's chest.

* * *

(At the top of the tower) 

Jaune opened his eyes to find a sword plunged right through the last Lieutenant's chest. The Lieutenant dropped his chainsaw right next to him, went limp and fell forward.

Jaune quickly grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the Lieutenant just before it fell too far. As he pulled the sword up he recognized it. Although its blade was covered in blood, he could recognize the handle. The cross guard was gold while the grip was black leather. The pommel had a small jewel with a with the 'Arc' symbol engraved in it.

" _My father's sword… Joyuse…_ " Jaune thought as he slowly stood up. He held the sword in his right hand, and gripped it tight. He then looked to Cinder.

She looked to him with a look of irritation and anger, _"How many swords does this guy have?"_

They both exchanged death glares. They both knew what was about to happen. The _real_ 'Final Battle' had just begun.

* * *

 **AN: I am sooooo sorry I didn't publish it on time this week; school has been pulling me away from this story.**

 **Please understand, I am juggling writing this story, keeping up with school and going to work; there may be times that I don't publish on schedule.**

 **Also, note that "Joyuse" is a legendary French sword, it was said that it was forged to contain a fragment of the "Lance of Longinus" in the pommel. **


	28. Star Knight Vs Fall Queen

**Star Knight Vs Fall Queen**

* * *

 **AN: Here it is… Nothing more to say really.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

(Top of the Spire)

Jaune stood there for what felt like a few minutes but only lasted a few seconds. He looks at his father's sword, Joyuse. He'd only ever seen its blade whenever his father was sharpening it. You'd never truly know a sword until you saw it unsheathed, and this one was truly beautiful.

The blade started to glow, and the glow spread up Jaune's arm to his chest.

* * *

(Down below)

Everyone was blown away by Pyrrha's throw. The glow that was around Pyrrha disappeared the moment she let go of the sword to throw it. All the light that surrounded her was gone.

Weiss looked down to her scroll. She pulled it out earlier to see Jaune's aura level. A few seconds ago the level was down to 3%, but what it showed now made Weiss' eyes widen to the point where they looked like they'd pop right out. "What the hell?"

Everyone broke out of the shock by Weiss' exclaim. Ruby was the first to speak. "What is it?"

"I looked up Jaune's aura level to see if he was wounded, but after Pyrrha sent him that sword, his aura level skyrocketed… In fact, it's off the scale!" Weiss said as she showed the scroll to the others.

Pyrrha was breathing heavily, throwing that sword so hard and using up so much energy in such a short time was exhausting.

Ruby and Ren helped to keep her standing. "Are you ok?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not exactly in peak condition." Pyrrha joked.

Then suddenly, they heard a loud clash up above. Qrow knew what it was instantly, "So, the battle has begun."

"We have to help him." Ruby said as she looked up the tower.

"He wanted us to stay down here." Ren argued.

"But he can't fight her on his own." Coco said with a worried voice.

"He has to." Qrow said. Everyone looked to him with confusion. He elaborated, "Jaune was born with the purpose to protect Vale from someone like Cinder… If he can't, then no one else can."

"But we can't just sit by and do nothing." Nora said with a worried look on her face. Pyrrha looked up to the tower. She could hear the clashing above. She then noticed something familiar about all of this. Jaune is up there alone, he ordered everyone to stay down below and not help him. Pyrrha's eyes widened to the realization.

"Oh my god! Jaune's not up there to just win… He's fighting her alone to die."

Everyone looked to her with confusion. "What?" Weiss asked.

"He ordered everyone to stay down here while he faces Cinder on his own. He knows that's a suicide mission." Pyrrha said.

"And he'll do it with the C4 he took with him." Coco added. Everyone looked to her with surprise. "He ordered me to give him all the C4 we had left into that duffle bag he had with him. He's going to blow the tower form the top."

"But why? We just got him back!" Nora said with fear.

"It's because he's ready to die." Ren said out loud. Everyone looked to him, while he looked to Pyrrha, "Pyrrha, he still thinks you're dead."

Ruby then came to a realization, she ran up to Pyrrha, "Wait; if he sees you, then he'll fight to live instead to die!" Pyrrha nodded in agreement. She stood up on her own, walked over to Jaune's kite shield and picked it up. She held it over her left arm like her old one, and held Locus' sword. He dropped it when he was pushed into the wall by Pyrrha's magnetism.

Ruby looked to the others with a serious face, "Make sure no one follows us up."

Everyone nodded and wished the two red women luck. Both Pyrrha and Ruby ran into the tower and began their climb.

* * *

(Top of the tower/ A few minutes ago)

Jaune tightened his grip on the handle of the sword; he felt his strength returning to him. It's almost as if the sword was reenergizing him.

Jaune turned to face Cinder; she had a look of annoyance and frustration. Just as Jaune was about to walk towards her, a small golden glare shined in his eye. He looked to the ground and saw Akouo, Pyrrha's shield. It was dome side down.

Jaune walked over to it slowly while locking eyes with Cinder. Cinder stood from her glass chair and slowly walked in Jaune's direction. She formed her swords out of the glass in the floor.

Once Jaune was right on top of Akouo, he stopped. His eyes started looking all around, as if he was thinking on what to say. He then found it.

"You know what, Cinder... I'm going to do something I never thought I would do…"

"And what's that?" Cinder asked. She kept her composure; she still stood proud without even exposing any form of weakness on her part.

"I'm going to make _you_ a promise." Jaune said with calm voice.

This actually caught Cinder off guard, she didn't show it, but his statement genuinely surprised her.

"A promise?" Jaune nodded.

"I promise… that no matter what happens… No matter what happens to _me_ … You will not see the end of this day."

Cinder couldn't stop herself from laughing. The first time she ever met him he was wearing a dress at the dance, and now he's promising that he's going to kill her. Jaune didn't show any change in his confidence and his composure. Even when she was laughing at him, he stood there and took it.

Once she finished with her laugh she spoke, "You know… You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"Oh, I'm going to keep it." Jaune said as his eyes intensified with anger.

"Oh, is that so? What makes you so sure?" Cinder asked with a more annoyed voice. She expected him to charge at her uncontrollably after that insult.

Jaune raised his left foot and stomped down on Akouo, kick-flipping the shield in the air. The shield went up a few feet while flipping fast. Once the shield came back down to arm's level, Jaune quickly put his hand through the straps. He stood at the ready as he answered, "Because an Arc _never_ goes back on his word."

 **(If a song was to play at this part, it would be '** ** _It has to be this way_** **' from Metal Gear Revengence)**

Jaune charged first at full speed while Cinder formed a flame below her and moved fast towards him. Jaune swung his sword while it shined bright while Cinder countered with both of her glass blades. When they clashed, a burst of energy blasted between them, loud enough for the battle down below to hear.

For every blade clash there was a loud bang like thunder. Jaune would block any of Cinder's attacks with both his sword and shield. He'd faced a fighter that had two swords before and knew what to expect in the fight. Carol made sure to teach him how to defend against a dual-blade wielder, and her training proved to be invaluable in this fight.

Cinder began to get agitated when he repeatedly blocked her attacks and came close to wounding her in his counter attacks. She then tried to break their stalemate by backing off and unleashing a barrage of glass shards.

Jaune lifted up Akouo to block the hail of glass. He energized the shield and expanded the barrier to protect his whole body. Cinder was shocked by his sudden increase in power. Jaune charged at her while keeping his barrier up. She continued her barrage up until he was within arm's reach of him. Jaune the swung his shield and hit her in the chest. She was pushed back a few feet, and his shield almost knocked the wind out of her. She was forced to use her blades to keep her from going over the side.

"That all you got?" Jaune asked as he cracked his neck. He wasn't pulling any punches, and he sure as hell wasn't planning to go easy on her.

Jaune was quickly agitating Cinder. The fact that he looked like he was getting the upper hand made her blood boil, enough to make her shoot a jet of fire at him in an attempt to incinerate him. Jaune simply raised his shield again to block the blaze of fire. Jaune ran toward her again, but this time, Cinder jumped over him. She landed behind him and swung her blades at him. Jaune raised his sword to block sideways slash from one of Cinder's blades before swinging his shield to parry the other blade, knocking it out of her hands. However, Cinder grabbed the blade of Joyuse and kicked him in the chest, forcing him to let go of the sword. Believing she had now gained an edge, Cinder threw the sword aside and smirked as she lit more fire in her hands.

Jaune held Akouo tight as he stood in different combat stance. He held his shield more outward of his body and while having his arms in a sort of boxing position; the shield didn't appear to weigh down his left arm at all. Cinder didn't hesitate and charged at him with her glowing fists. Cinder threw a right hook at Jaune, only for him to catch her arm and loop his own around it, effectively pinning it. Jaune then used his shield arm to land a series of powerful punches to Cinder's ribs.

Despite her Aura protecting her, Cinder could still feel the edge of his shield hit her with incredible force. Jaune then used his other arm to backhand Cinder in the face, causing her to stumble back. Cinder quickly recovered and threw a flaming punch at Jaune, who coated his own fist with his Aura. They threw their fists at each other, but then Jaune leaned to the right at the last second while his fist made contact with Cinder's face. The force of the hit not only dislocated her jaw, but also sent her flying back a few feet. Cinder formed a flame below her to keep her from falling over the edge while Jaune dashed back over to Joyuse and pulled it out of the ground. He then stood in his normal battle stance as he faced Cinder again.

Cinder rubbed her lower right ribs where Jaune hit her with Akouo, pushed her jaw back into place, and brought a ghost of a smile to her lips.

"Well, I admit, I actually felt that one." She wanted to kill him, sure, but now the fight was starting to become more exhilarating. She hadn't had a real fight since she fought Pyrrha on the tower. She considered her battle with RWBY a little "warm up" compared to this.

"You're about to feel more," Jaune said as he took a more defensive posture. Cinder flew towards him fast with new blades, swinging them as fast and hard as she could. She was trying not to give Jaune any openings to counter attack. Jaune reacted by energizing his sword, cutting one of hers in half and then punching her in the face with the shield.

She backed up and tried to refocus, but Jaune came at her this time. She blocked as best she could up until Jaune cut the second blade in half and then kicked Cinder as hard as he could. She was pushed into one of the pillars that held the ceiling up.

When Cinder made contact with the pillar, it cracked and shattered, causing a portion of the ceiling to fall down on her and bury her. The large chunks of black glass settled, but then an orange light shined form cracks in the glass. Then they all blasted off of her as she levitated herself upward.

Blood was dripping down the side of her head and her eyes looked like they were glazed over. "You know what?" She said with a sneer on her face, "Fuck what my mistress wants with you… I JUST WANT YOU DEAD!"

With that, she rocketed towards Jaune too fast for him to react. She grabbed him, lifted him up and then slammed him into the ground, causing him to let go both his sword and shield.

* * *

(Climbing up the tower)

Ruby and Pyrrha have been running up the stairs for what felt like hours but were really a few minutes. They were forced to move from one stairwell to another because of the hole in the side of the building and the collapsed stairs on some floors.

When they reached the 40th floor, they were forced to go to the other stairwell again. As they were making their way up, someone shot at them. They both ducked for cover from the shooter. From the rate of fire, it was a single shooter with two guns, Pyrrha guessed.

"Well, well… if it isn't little Red. And I see that you brought a friend." said the man.

Pyrrha recognized the voice instantly, "Mercury." Pyrrha mouthed to Ruby. Ruby nodded in understanding.

"Wait a minute… is that you, Nikos?" Mercury asked. "What happened to Locus, Neo and Emerald?" He sounded genuinely worried for them.

"Locus went for a swim," Pyrrha joked, "Neo and Emerald are ok. Let us go and we'll let you go."

"Not going to happen." Mercury said without hesitation.

"We're not here to fight you… We're here for Cinder." Ruby said.

"No, you don't understand… I can't let you go because she ordered me to keep anyone form spoiling her fight." Mercury said as he was reloading his boots. "See, if I let you go, she'll know I let her down… Then she'll do to me what she almost did to you Nikos."

He then fired a few more shots at their direction. Pyrrha didn't want to waste any more time so she got out of cover and held her hand up to send him flying, only nothing happened.

"What the?"

"Ha! You should see the look on your face!" Mercury said with a laugh, "You see, after I learned of your semblance I made a new attachment to my legs." He the fired a few more shots, forcing her to hide behind cover again. "I call them 'Polarity suppressors'. They make an EM field around my legs, making them resistant to any outside source of magnetism, including yours."

Mercury then ran at them and jumped over their cover, while shooting a few rounds at them. The two huntresses were forced out of their cover and faced their attacker.

"Now, then…" Mercury said with a smile as he held his left leg up, "Who's first?"

* * *

(Outside the tower)

Blake and Yang both made their way down the tower form the hole in the side of the building. They ran over to the rest of the group and found both Neo and Emerald with them, and they weren't cuffed.

"What the hell are they doing here? And why aren't they cuffed or anything?" Yang asked as she held her hands up.

Nora put her hand up to Yang, "They're on our side." Just before Nora could explain, Neptune and Sun landed not too far from them.

"Sun/Blake!" They both shouted as they held each other tightly.

Weiss even ran up to Neptune and hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're ok." Neptune smiled and returned her hug. They both liked each other back in their academy days, but for the past few weeks on this adventure showed that they were more than that.

Neptune opened his eyes and looked around, "Where's Ruby?"

Ren was about to answer, but then they all heard the tower move. It started shaking a little and then the top of it came off. Then they heard a loud horn to the north. When the horn reached Blake's ears, her heart stopped. She let go of Sun, with her eyes as showing utter fear.

"They're here."

* * *

(Back with Pyrrha and Ruby, two minutes ago)

Mercury was surprisingly formidable on his own. He would throw a few kicks towards Pyrrha to keep her form going on, while shooting at Ruby every chance he got.

Ruby was able to block a few shots with Crescent Rose, but when one hit the armor on her shoulder it shot straight through. Lucky for her, her shoulder didn't receive damage; there was no blood coming out of the hole in her shoulder's armor. She got confused for a second but was then refocus on the battle.

Pyrrha held Jaune's shield close as she swung her sword at Mercury's feet. Jaune's shield is a lot heavier than she remembered, in order to make it easier to hold, she used her semblance to make the shield lighter. This gave her the opportunity to make counter whenever Mercury was in the middle of one of his kicks.

Pyrrha swung her sword and struck Mercury's left lower leg while he was in the middle of a roundhouse. Her strike knocked Mercury off balance. Ruby saw a chance to strike; she propelled herself with a bullet and then swung her scythe as hard as she could at Mercury's right leg.

Mercury saw Ruby coming and fired his right leg's gun to get out of her way. He then back kicked Ruby in the back of her head, knocking her to the ground. "Nice try, Red." Ruby rolled over to get up but was shot three times in the chest by bullets to the chest by Mercury's leg-guns.

Ruby was pushed down form the force of the bullets, she started coughing. Pyrrha stood between Ruby and Mercury, and to say that she looked angry would be an understatement.

Pyrrha charged at Mercury as fast as she could, Mercury ran at her just as fast. Pyrrha lowered her shield and swung her sword while Mercury jumped up and threw a left kick. Their weapons collided, and the shockwave form his bullet impacting with her sword mushed them both back a few feet.

Pyrrha quickly ran up to him and swung her sword low to knock out his feet from under him, but he quickly jumped up and double kicked Pyrrha. Pyrrha was lucky enough to raise her shield up in time to take the blast. With the worn cloths she was wearing, she was practically naked in this battle while everyone else had armor on.

Just when Mercury landed he did a few back flips and then started running at Pyrrha again. Pyrrha stood ready to block whatever he had next to throw at her. But just when he jumped up to do a left strong axe kick, red rose petals blew past Pyrrha's face.

It all happened so fast, Pyrrha could barely see it: Ruby ran past Pyrrha with the same speed she had during the 'food fight'. Just as she passed Pyrrha, Ruby swung her scythe at the knee of Mercury's left leg. The stroke was fast and swift, and she cut clean through the metal leg as if it was made of butter.

Mercury didn't even react to what was happening until the leg was already gone. On his way to the ground, Pyrrha hit him in the face with her shield, breaking his nose and busting his lip. Mercury landed flat on his back and groaned to the pain.

Ruby turned around and walked over to Pyrrha, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. What about you? I saw you get shot!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she pointed to the three bullet holes in Ruby's chest plates. Ruby put her fingers in one of the holes and pulled out a bullet. The bullet looked like a mushroom. She and Pyrrha both looked into the hole and saw little white sparkles coming out of it when the light touched it. "Looks like that Mithril really is hard stuff." Ruby smiled.

Pyrrha smiled, smiling at the fact that her friend was okay. Their quick victory was cut short when the tower started to rubble around and the floor began to shake. Parts of the floor began to cave in. Pyrrha turned to see that the ground underneath Mercury started to crack.

She didn't like him, but that doesn't mean she would condemn him to death on that alone. Pyrrha ran over to him and put him over her shoulders. "We need to get him out of here."

Ruby didn't need any convincing to help Mercury, part of her kind nature. She took his other arm and helped to get him away from the cracks in the floor.

Once the shaking stopped, the tower settled. Then they heard a loud horn outside. Pyrrha looked to Ruby, and she looked to Pyrrha. "The White Fang are here." Ruby said with worry in her eyes.

"We need to get down form the tower." Pyrrha said.

"No, _we_ will get down. You go up there and help Jaune." Ruby said as she pulled the unconscious Mercury form Pyrrha's grasp.

"Ruby, you can't carry him alone." Pyrrha said as she was about to grab Mercury's arm.

Ruby pulled him out of her reach, "You need to get to Jaune, that's all that counts now. He made it this far for you; now get up there for him!"

For Pyrrha, it was almost like a slap in the face. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't. She nodded in understanding and then ran for, what was left, of the stairwell.

Ruby quickly lifted Mercury over her shoulder; lowered Crescent Rose below her feet and then jumped out of a window.

As they were descending, Ruby fired a shot every two seconds to slow their decent. As they were getting closer to the ground, Crescent Rose didn't fire. Ruby's eyes widened, she ran out of bullets and couldn't reload without the risk of dropping Mercury.

The ground came up fast, but then she heard another gun shot, she looked down to see Mercury's foot shooting downward as fast as she did until they hit the ground.

When the touched down, Mercury pushed himself away from Ruby and landed face first into the snow. The landing ended up knocking him out again, he started to snore through the snow. Ruby was about to help him up but then heard the others coming toward her from behind.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted. She ran up to her little sister and hugged her. She then let go and held onto Ruby's shoulders, "Are you ok? What were you doing up there?" Yang then looked down to Mercury. "And what were you doing with him?"

Ruby looked down to Mercury and then to Yang, "It's a long story."

That long story would have to wait as they heard another horn in the distance, it sounded closer.

* * *

(At the top of the tower/ right where we left off)

Cinder was still on top of Jaune, standing over him with two glass swords in her hands. She then reverse-gripped them and shoved them down toward his chest. Jaune grabbed her wrists before the blades reached his chest plate.

Jaune quickly pushed her off of him, and then he rolled over and stood up. He ran over to where his sword landed and picked it up. Just when he was about to go for the shield, it was shot out of the room, sent flying out the window.

Jaune turned back to see Cinder looking at him intently with her swords together to make her bow. Cinder the fired several more arrows at him.

Jaune swung his sword and broke a few of the arrows that came close to him, and dodged the ones he couldn't hit. Cinder fired three arrows at his feet. Jaune looked down and saw the floor glow again. The three arrows quickly exploded before he could get out of the way this time.

When he landed, Cinder looked at him with an arrogant smile. "Let's make this a bit more _interesting_." Cinder then made her hands glow as she lifted them up in the air. The floor started to shake, almost as if the tower was coming apart. The shaking stopped and it became quiet. Jaune looked out one of the window and saw that they were going up.

The top three floors of the tower were ripped off the Spire. It began ascending a few meters upward every second. Cinder then shattered the ceiling and the floor at the bottom to pieces and made their debris float around them. The floating section of the tower stopped and hovered about ten meters above what was left of the Spire, it then started to slowly rotate counterclockwise.

Cinder's eyes had fire formed around them. This time the fire wasn't red or orange, it was blue.

 **(AN: For those of you who don't know, blue flames burn hotter than orange or red flames.)**

Jaune slowly and steadily stood up from where he was pushed back. He looked to his enemy and saw that she had more tricks up her sleeve than she showed before.

Cinder was unleashing the "gift" Salem gave her not too long ago for her loyalty. Now Cinder's flames were hotter, her strength increased, and her Aura intensified.

" **This is the power of one who is worthy… One who stops at nothing to take what is rightfully theirs.** " Her voice sounded different; a little darker, like how Smaug's voice differed from Felix's.

"Like the Fall Maiden's powers? You stole them!" Jaune said as he spat some blood.

" **I gave that power true purpose… MY purpose!** " Cinder shouted back. She didn't need to convince him; she didn't want to anyway.

Jaune stood up straight, ready to continue; but then he heard a horn in the distance. They both turned to the North; Jaune's right, Cinder's left. There they saw an army of foot soldiers, tanks, armored trucks and heavy mechs.

Cinder started to chuckle, " **Now you see…** " Cinder then turned to Jaune as he met her gaze, " **You've already lost.** " Jaune gripped his sword tight. After all he's been through to get here, all the blood and sweat to get up this tower, and now it's already over?

" **The White Fang will finish the job. Vale and Atlas' forces will be crushed, Vale becomes the kingdom to the Faunus, and now my mistress has a foothold in the kingdom of Vale.** " Cinder said with an arrogant grin.

Jaune gripped his sword tighter, "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jaune shouted as he charged at Cinder at full speed.

* * *

(Down to the company on the ground)

Everyone knew that whatever was going on in that floating part of the tower they couldn't help. But the least they could do is hold off the White Fang before they reach Beacon and Vale.

"Come on," Qrow said as he motioned for everyone to follow him. They all ran outside the gate to an open field. There they found find rank upon rank of White Fang troopers. They could see the armored vehicles and heavy mechs in back.

Behind them was the tree line that led to the battle below. They knew what was at stake, they knew what would happen if this army made it down the hill and into the battlefield below.

"We hold them here." Ruby ordered everyone, and nobody disagreed with her. Everyone formed their individual battle stances and prepared for what would seem like their final battle, while another was happening a mile above them.

* * *

(On Cinder's floating platform)

Cinder formed new swords, this time the blades vaguely looked like they were on fire. Most likely Cinder is forming fire barriers around them just like Jaune does when he energizes objects.

Jaune swung his sword as hard as he could and clashed with her swords. Cinder then fired a few more shards at him at close range. Jaune tried to block the shots with his sword but some were getting through. He got hit in the right shoulder, lower left leg, right side of his belly and his left forearm.

Cinder then swung her blades upward, knocking Joyuse out of Jaune's hands. Before he could do anything, Cinder unleashed a massive blaze of blue fire at Jaune. With nothing to block the attack, Jaune simply moved his arms over his face and stood strong.

The barrage of blue completely engulfed him to the point that Cinder couldn't see him anymore. She stopped the flames and lowered her blades to see what was left of her enemy. What she found made her heart stop.

Jaune was whole. His body was undamaged and unburned. A golden flow of energy was moving around him. The flow of energy seemed to be coming from his back and then formed a bright pointed 'shape'. Jaune opened his eyes, nearly blinded by his own light. Jaune moved his arms down and then the two shapes made of light folded outward. He saw that they originated form his back and extended outward. When he got a good look at the pointed 'shapes' a lot closer, he saw that they were made of something that resembled feathers.

 _"I-Impossible… He can't be THAT kind of Star Knight!"_ Cinder didn't want to believe her eyes, but there in front of her stood a Star Knight with light-wings.

 **(AT this point in the story, the song "I May Fall" would be playing)**

"What the hell?" Jaune said with complete surprise all over his face. He had never seen, nor heard of anything like this in his life. He held his hands outward and saw as the wings mimicked his arm movements, and then they folded themselves backward, making him look talker. There were no mentions of it in the Star Knight legends, at least, none that he found in his research. "This must be some new power…"

 _"He doesn't know what he is… That gives me a chance."_ Cinder quickly pointed her swords at him again and unleashed another wave of blue fire. Jaune moved his hands over his face again and then his 'light-wings' folded over his body and blocked the inferno. His wings were holding, but he couldn't stay where he stood; the ground began to melt from the flames.

Jaune fell down to the floor below, he turned to see his sword not too far away. Jaune ran as fast as he could and grabbed his sword, just when he heard another blaze come right at him.

Jaune ran to his sword and grabbed it right when the flame reached him. Without even thinking, Jaune was lifted into the air by his wings and raised him above the platform and over Cinder.

Jaune turned around to face Cinder; he then flew down toward her with his blade ready to swing. Cinder quickly raised her swords and blocked his attack, this time his blade not only had more power, and it had more force behind it. Cinder bent backwards, allowing the blade to move over her and past her.

Jaune's wings made him glide a yard away from her, just about reaching the edge of the platform. He turned around to look at her but was met by a large chunk of black glass. It hit him hard and pushed him off the platform. Jaune quickly pushed off of it and then flew back upward to the platform.

Cinder hovered, with her blue flame below her, and then through more chunks of glass at him. Some of the chunks looked like they were covered in blue flames, most likely from her fire barriers. She swung her arms as large chunks of glass the size of tiers flew at Jaune at high speeds; she even through whole pillars form the level below.

" **Zenith or not, you** ** _will not_** **have this day!** " She shouted with pure rage in her voice and fear beneath her throat.

* * *

(Down below with the rest of the company)

The front lines of the White Fang reached the company and engaged in melee fighting. The company was holding their own against the vanguard, but they were nowhere near able to take on the whole army on their own, yet they stay and fight.

Qrow fired his gun a few times and then heard a few crashes and loud bangs happen behind him. He turned to look up at the tower above and saw Cinder on her platform fighting Jaune, who now had wings. "Well, well… He is a Zenith after all." Qrow smirked before he continued to fight the White fang with everyone else.

* * *

Jaune swung his sword, cutting any glass that got in his way. He then flew past her and ascended a few feet higher than her. Jaune looked down on Cinder, when he spoke, his voice almost sounded deeper. " **Your** ** _power has been growing since the day that you stole them… While_** **my** ** _power has been growing since the day I was born!_** "

Cinder's eyes widened, she flailed her arms towards him again, sending hundreds of chunks of flaming glass at him; some of the glass came from the Spire below. " **DIE!** " She shouted as she threw a whole watchtower form the outer wall at him like a spear.

Jaune flew down at an angle towards her, dodged a few of the flaming glass shards, and then swung his sword at the tower that was flying towards him. When he swung his sword, it formed a light 'arc' and then sent it flying towards the tower; the arc cut through the tower with ease and then disappeared. Jaune flew through the opening it made and collided with Cinder.

Jaune had already finished the swing by then, so he collided with her with his right shoulder. They both tumbled a few feet until they were about a yard apart and on opposite ends of the platform. He tumbled left while she fell right.

Jaune felt his whole body ache in pain. He may have great power, a mountain supply of aura, but that doesn't make up for physical strength. He learned the hard way that aura doesn't keep your body from getting exhausted. Stamina is stamina; aura can't do anything except hold off the inevitable.

Jaune put his arms below him and pushed himself up. He could hear Cinder groaning in the distance. She coughed and then lifted herself up like he was. Cinder's glass arm appeared to be breaking down; it was rattled with cracks all over the forearm and in the palm. She was able to get to her feet first, trying her best to stand without falling over.

Jaune was having as much trouble as her; he was forced to use Joyuse as a sort of cane to help lift him up. He lifted his head to match a gaze with his enemy. Her amber eyes were full of rage, the blue flame that was formed around them started to fade.

Jaune assessed the situation; he still had a lot of power left, but no strength in his body to use it. He was worn out from fighting his way through the battlefield, through the courtyard, up the tower, and dealing with those Lieutenants. His body was almost spent. Cinder, on the other hand, appeared to have a little strength left in her to continue. And she stood tall to prove it.

Jaune planned a last resort if he couldn't beat her one on one, but if he tried it now, she might stop him before it could happen. He only stood there, waiting for whatever she planned to do next. Throw more glass? Shoot more fire? It didn't matter.

He looked into her eyes and saw the rage, but then he saw confusion and surprise. Then he heard something loud behind him. Whatever it was, it flew right over the platform. Jaune looked up to see two squadrons of Atlas fighter/bombers in 'V' formation, flying towards the White Fang army behind Cinder. After them, a dozen Airship ferries flew past the platform as well.

The fighter/bombers flew over the company and started raining hell on the White Fang tanks and mechs. **_"Light 'em up!"_** the leading pilot shouted into her radio. The squadrons destroyed most of the tanks and a few of the mechs. Once their bombing run was complete, they turned right back around and headed to the battle below.

* * *

(City of Vale)

"Bombing run was successful. Repeat, bombing run successful." Said a man on the radio that an Atlas soldier was holding. General Ironwood, Wash and Glynda were standing there listening to the good news.

Ironwood turned to Glynda and Wash and said something that made them both smile, "Now, let's take back this city."

* * *

The Airships hovered over the company and then opened all their doors. A dozen people jumped out of each airship. They didn't look military; in fact their colors were vastly diverse.

Most of the company recognized a few faces, such as Teams CRDL, ABRN, BRNZ, NDGO, FNKI, the other two members of Team SSSN, Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck. While all the others were adult hunters, Qrow recognized most of them form the same year he graduated while others he remember meeting on tour to other countries.

They all engaged in the fight alongside the company, taking some of the pressure off of them. Ruby and Yang saw their father and Raven land close by and join the fight.

And then everything changed when everyone heard a loud roar come from above. They looked and saw a massive bear land right in the middle of the army, with a woman in red hair and a long bow riding his on his back.

Qrow was the most shocked to find Beorn joining the fight. Qrow then heard a woman land next to him, he turned to find Kida Atlantia standing there with her spear and shield in hand. "What's the matter, Qrow? Didn't expect us to come?"

"Oh, I knew you'd come… but when you said you were calling in Jonah's favors, I didn't think you meant _all_ of them." Qrow said with a smile.

"How'd you get those teams from the Vytal Festival to come?"

"They visit Vale to help refugees, and when I put out the draft to take back Beacon and Vale, they all volunteered." Kida said with a smile. She then pointed her spear towards a group of White Fang that were charging at them while they were talking and blasted them all away. Yang and Ruby saw the blast and were amazed by the power that woman had.

"Who's that talking to Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked while she was reloading her rifle.

"That's Kida Atlantia… Jaune's mother." Raven said after cutting down a couple of troopers.

"That's Jaune's mother?" both Ruby and Yang asked in unison. Yang shook her head, put her hands on her hips, smiled and said, "Ok, its official… _all_ of our mothers are badasses."

* * *

Cinder had her back to Jaune, she watched as her army was being decimated by the sudden arrival of Hunter reinforcements. Not to mention a large beast tearing through the White Fang like a mad Ursa.

" **No… No! NO! WE WERE SO CLOSE!** " Cinder shouted as blue flames blasted form her eyes.

"Not close enough." Jaune spat. Cinder turned around to find Jaune standing there with his scroll out. She could barely see what was on it at her angle, but she could kind of make out a large word on it. It said 'detonate'. Her eyes widened.

* * *

(Almost an hour ago)

Jaune was on the 49th floor. There was no one around; it was completely empty, aside from the pillars to keep the ceiling up.

Jaune then took a duffle bag off his back and set it down. He placed it in as close to the center of the room as possible. He opened the bag to reveal that it was the remaining packs of C4 that he took form Coco.

He synced the main detonator to his scroll; all he had to do was press the button on his scroll to set it off.

After it was set, he stood up and then continued on to the stares.

* * *

(Back to present)

Cinder looked at Jaune's scroll and then to him, "You're insane…"

Jaune almost felt insulted, but then he accepted it.

"If I am… I owe that to you." He finished before he pressed the button.

The bag below them beeped and then went off.

* * *

Pyrrha reached the top, or what was now the top, of the tower and saw the bomb go off before her eyes. "JAUNE!" After the initial explosion, debris fell straight down to the Spire. Pyrrha had barely enough time to run back down the stairs before the debris fell on her head. She made it to the floor below and could hear the glass crash and shatter above her.

Once the crashing stopped, she started to hear footsteps.

* * *

Before the explosion got to Jaune, his wings folded over his body, forming a sort of cocoon of light. After the explosion, the wings opened up and slowly glided him down to the 'top' of the Spire.

He started walking around the debris. He was searching for Cinder, or if he was lucky, her corpse. While he searched, he saw the battle to the north. He was honestly surprised to find so many hunters fighting together against an enemy so large. To see soldiers do it was one thing, but with hunters, it's another story.

* * *

Pyrrha ran over to the stairwell. If there was a chance that it was Jaune who was making those footsteps she would risk it.

When she got to the stairs, she found that large glass boulders blocked them off. She was impatient. She came this far, she didn't want to wait. She couldn't. She started swinging her blade to break the boulders apart, in the hopes to force a way through.

* * *

Jaune's search ended when he found the upper half of Cinder lying under a pile of glass rubble. She was buried from her upper back down. Her arms were both out, and her glass arm was in pieces. Jaune looked to the rubble and saw a massive piece of glass right above her; it was pointed downward, possibly through her body.

Jaune gave a very serious look as he looked down at the 'possibly' dead Cinder. She could be either dead, or dying. He could just stab her in the neck and finish it, but it felt wrong. If she was already dead, then he'd by mutilating a corpse. From the bottom of his heart, he knew that Pyrrha would ever want him to defile her memory by doing either. So… he turned around and walked away. Jaune walked southward. He wanted to see how the armies in Beacon and Vale were doing. With this sudden arrival of air support, they would have a chance to drive the Grimm back for good.

As he was walking, Cinder's eyes shot open. She lifted her head to see Jaune walking away. She then moved her left arm outward as if she had just thrown something.

Jaune all of a sudden felt a huge amount of pain coming from his left leg. Jaune looked down to find three glass shards imbedded in his leg; one in his calf and two in his thigh. Jaune was forced to the ground by the pain, he fell forward to his knees.

Cinder blasted the glass shards that were on top of her, revealing that they were melted underneath to allow her to be under it without any harm to her.

* * *

Pyrrha heard a scream, and then an explosion. _"Oh, no!"_

She swung her sword at the glass faster and harder, she was desperately swinging at the boulders. Tears started to well up in her eyes. _"Please. Please. Please!"_

* * *

As Cinder stood up, she reformed her glass hand and then converted it into a large glass spike with blue flames burning around it. She kicked Jaune to turn him over and then pushed the spike downward towards his chest. Jaune barely had the time to lift his sword up to catch the spike by blocking it with the side of his blade. The fact that he was able to get impaled in his leg shows that his power was low enough to not give him his personal barrier, meaning this flaming spike could kill him.

Jaune pushed as hard as he could but couldn't get her off him. His body was still exhausted; he could feel his arms shaking under the pressure of Cinder's spike. The only way he saw out of this is to take her by surprise and then finish it.

Cinder looked at Jaune with eyes filled with feral insanity. All she wanted was for him to suffer and die. She was already about to kill him, all that was left was to make it more painful.

"Do you want to know the last words your beloved ever said to me before I put an arrow through her heart?" Cinder snarled. If her broken, shaky voice wasn't a sign that she had completely lost her mind, her twitching right eye was.

 _"Last words?"_ This could be it. This could be his way of taking her by surprise. He thought long and hard, it seemed like minutes but it was only seconds before he could come up with the answer.

Jaune took a deep breath, looked Cinder right in the eye and spoke in a calm voice, "Do you believe in Destiny?" Being one of the last things they talked about, he had a distinct feeling that would be something she would say before her death.

Cinder's eyes were proof enough to him that he was right on his answer. He could feel her letting some of her weight off of her spike, and so, he removed the blade from the spike and let it go down.

The spike pierced through his chest plate and then pushes into his heart, ripping it in two. Jaune could only grunt at the pain; not only of his heart being ripped but also burned, cauterizing the wound all around as she jabbed her spike though his chest. He started feel his lungs slowly filling up with blood from the wound.

Cinder's face changed back to normal after she pushed into his chest. She smiled as she said, " **Yes**." Cinder's smile vanished when she felt him grab her with his left hand and push her off. She looked down to find Joyuse pointing at her chest, when she tried to move she realized that she was in his grip and unable to break it. Jaune grit his teeth, he pushes the blade into her chest towards her heart as he pulls her over and sits on top of her.

By this time, the glass spike was pulled out when they rolled over, allowing Jaune to sit over her and hold both his hands on the handle of the sword, " **So do I**!" And with all the strength he could muster left, he pushed the sword deeper into Cinder. The blade pushed through her heart and then through the floor, peeking through the ceiling of the floor below.

Cinder gasped by the sudden shove of his blade. She coughed blood and moaned to the pain. Her eyes were still full of shock as she looked up to the Star Knight above her. Jaune watched as he saw the life leave Cinder's eyes and the last of her gasping ended.

It wasn't a sight he ever liked seeing. It's one thing to actually kill someone, but watching the life leave their eyes was entirely different. Once it was clear that she was gone, he slowly closed her eye lids.

He then slowly stood up, stumbled more like, and pulled the sword out of Cinder's body. The last thing he wants is for this sword to be stained with the blood. As he pulled out the blade, an orange light eliminated from the wound. Then an orange sphere flew out of it, levitate up to Jaune's face and then disappear into the clouds.

 _"Going off to the next host, good."_

* * *

Pyrrha finally carved a large enough path for her to get through.

Once she was out she saw a man standing next to a ledge. She recognized the armor, and his golden locks were proof enough for her. "Jaune."

Jaune stood there, looking to the distance, seeing the Stay Knights, Atlas and Militia push the Grimm back and achieve victory. _"Least I get a good a view before the end."_ He could only smile as he fell to his knees and started to fall forward.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as she ran towards him, dropping both the sword and shield and then catch him before he fell on his face.

Pyrrha lifted him up and turned him. She rested his body on her lap as she cupped his face in her right hand and used the other to hold him up.

"Jaune, please!" Pyrrha moved his head around to try and wake him up. "I'm right here. I'm here. Jaune!"

Jaune could feel his strength leaving him. He tried to open his eyes. When he did, he could vaguely see Pyrrha over him. She had tears running down her eyes. She looked to be shouting, but he couldn't hear a thing. His eyes began to get heavier.

"Jaune. Please, stay awake! Come on!" Pyrrha pleaded as she saw his eyes close. Then nothing. He wasn't moving, not on his own. The tears coming from Pyrrha's eyes dripped off her face and onto Jaune's cheek. She began to bawl as she held Jaune close, resting her forehead to his. "I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Quiet.

There was no sound of gunfire. No sound of metal beating metal. No explosions. Pyrrha opened her eyes to see that Jaune was still in her arms, but when she looked to their surroundings, there was nothing.

Physically nothing. It was like a big void. The ground was the only thing illuminating, bright enough for her to see as if it was daylight.

Pyrrha then heard something; it sounded like heals taping on the floor. It started to get louder, meaning it was getting closer. The sound originated in front of her, when she looked to the source, she looked with both shock and disbelief.

"What is this?" Pyrrha asked. Before her, stood the 'Pyrrha' Jaune has been talking to the whole time. She was still wearing Pyrrha's old Spartan armor and had Milo and Akouo on her back.

" **Hello, Pyrrha.** "

 **(AN: So that no one gets confused on which one is talking, the Pyrrha that Jaune talked to will be in bold.)**

"Who are you? What are you?" Pyrrha asked with fear as she held Jaune's body closer.

" **I'm you.** " Pyrrha squinted her eyes in confusion to that answer.

" **Well, the part of you that you left behind in that kiss before you went off to fight Cinder on your own.** " Pyrrha didn't want to believe it. But when she heard that a part of Jaune's aura was within her, it almost seemed reasonable.

"Why are you here?"

" **To save him.** " 'Pyrrha' said as she walked over to Jaune and placed her hand on his chest, over the hole. Then a light started to shine between her fingers as the aura was being transferred.

Pyrrha started to feel weak, "What's happening?"

" **Jaune may have great power, but a wound like this needs two to fully heal.** " As Pyrrha looked down to Jaune's face, he started to move. It was working. Pyrrha then turned to the copy with a questionable look on her face.

"How did you…? You know…"

" **Come to be? Well, when the part of Jaune's aura transferred into you, it saved you from Cinder's arrow, from the torture, and kept your body healthy.** " Thinking about it, it all made sense now why all of Cinder's torture methods couldn't work on her, even when Emerald tried to mess with her head.

"But that doesn't explain why you exist? I can hardly believe my aura would manifest itself to look like me on purpose."

" **Jaune's aura saved you from physical harm. Yours made me to save him from himself.** "

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked with a little fear in her voice.

" **A few months after you were declared dead, Jaune tried to run from his pain and grief by training. Then there came a day when he started thinking about taking his own life to be with you.** "

Pyrrha's heart almost stopped at the thought of Jaune committing suicide because of her.

" **But he didn't because I helped to calm him down.** " 'Pyrrha' looked to her original with a sympathetic face. Seeing Jaune like that was painful for her too. Fortunately, it was now over.

Pyrrha looked to her copy and saw that she was beginning to fade. "What's happening to you?"

" **I am… transferring the aura… that was used… to make me…** " She started to sound tired; she hunched over, but kept her hand over Jaune's heart.

"Then what happens to you?" Pyrrha started to get worried.

" **I will cease to be... and fade away into nothing.** " She said as she used her other hand to keep herself from falling over.

"Wait. No. This is enough. We can get him to a medic and do the rest. You don't have to give up your existence to-" Pyrrha was cut off by her clone.

" **Pyrrha, don't you see? This is my purpose…** " the clone said as she looked onto Jaune's face, " **I love him as much as you do, and I would gladly give up my existence if it meant he would be with you again.** "

"But none of this was supposed to happen. This wasn't my destiny…" Pyrrha said as more tears dropped from her eyes. She lowered her head down to Jaune and closed her eyes tight.

Her clone lifted Pyrrha's chin up and smiled at her, " **Jaune once said, 'Destiny is a plan that was already made for you… But it's on you whether or not to follow it.' This is mine. Yours is with him.** " Pyrrha slightly chuckled at the wisdom her aura clone gave her. She looked down to Jaune and smiled.

'Pyrrha' started to fade away even more. " **It's time.** " Pyrrha looked up to her clone with sadness. " **Pyrrha, do me and Jaune a favor… Don't die on him again. He won't survive it a second time.** " And with those last words, Pyrrha's clone vanished before her eyes. Leaving Pyrrha alone in the void, with Jaune still in her hands.

* * *

Pyrrha's eyes shot open as she looked around to see that she was right where she was before. On top of the Spire, and there was still gunfire and fighting happening in the distance. Pyrrha looked down to Jaune and saw that his eyes were moving beneath his eyelids. She moved her right hand down over the hole in his chest plate and felt skin at the bottom of the hole. Solid skin, she raised her hand and saw no blood on them at all.

The wounds on the rest of his body were still fresh; the wounds he suffered from the lieutenants were still open, including the glass spikes in his left leg. Suddenly Pyrrha started to hear the sound of glass cracking.

The Spire's main tower began to crack all over, giving into its own weight. A structure was way too big was made out of to hold. The enchantment over the glass must have been removed when Cinder died.

As the floor they were on started to go down, the floors below caved in on themselves. As they began to descend, Pyrrha tried to carry Jaune to the edge of the floor. When they reached the edge, Pyrrha saw the ground come up to them fast.

If they stayed, then they would be shredded to pieces by the chunks of glass at the bottom. Pyrrha did the only thing she could think of. She jumped off the edge, used her semblance to move Jaune's shield below them both and slowly lowered them down.

* * *

(On the ground with the company)

Victory appeared to be theirs. Most of the White Fang surrendered while others fought to the death. Ruby turned to see the Spire collapse in on itself. She started to worry for her friends, but her worry went away when she saw Pyrrha slowly descending with Jaune in her arms.

"PYRRHA!" Ruby shouted. Everyone who heard her quickly turned around to see whom she was referring to. Yang, Blake, Sun and Neptune were shocked beyond words that Pyrrha was there; mostly due to the fact that they weren't there when Pyrrha reunited with her team.

Pyrrha carried them with the shield with all her strength until they landed safely. She was panting; she hadn't had much practice with her powers since she awoke a few months ago. Pyrrha quickly lowered Jaune's body and placed his head on her lap. She looked down on him and saw that he was still moving. He was out cold, but he was alive.

The company arrived to find Jaune on Pyrrha's lap, a slash over his right eye and a hole in his chest plate. "Pyrrha… Is he…?" Ruby asked with fear in her voice.

"He's alive." Pyrrha said before Ruby could finish. She looked up to her friends, she smiled and shed tears of joy. "We're ok."

* * *

 **AN: Well, that was quite the battle.**

 **The reason for the wings was quite simple really, since Jaune was based off of Joan of Arc, I thought the version of his 'Ultimate Form' would be his aura making him resemble an angle.**

 **I would like to credit the part of the battle that resembled "Metal Gear Rising Revengence" to my new Beta-Reader** **Breakawayfan** **.**

 **I would also like to say… This fight…. This battle on this chapter was the start of it all… The idea that help create this story… The thought of Jaune being a part of some legend, and my personal hope that someday in the original RWBY series, something remotely like this, actually happens.**

 **Until then, I will continue my story.  
This isn't over, there is still a lot of story to tell.**

 **R &R**

 **Oh, and also… ARKOS!**


	29. The Aftermath of a Great Battle

**The Aftermath of a Great Battle**

* * *

 **AN: This story is far from over. I assure you.**

 **Thank you all for sticking around this long!**

 **Now, on to the story!**

* * *

He could hear sounds. There was light beeping. Jaune had a rather strong feeling of Déjà vu. There was the heart monitor, the sound of people outside, but their sounds were more muffled. The room sounded more insulated. His eyelids were heavy, and he could barely move them. Getting them to open was like trying to lift up a car with them. He was only able to open one of them. He could feel some kind of cloth or bandage over the right eyelid. The most likely reason why would be the cut over his right eye. He could still move his eye around below the lid, at least he knew it was still there; as for if it works again, he'll have to wait.

Judging by what he could see with his left eye, he was staring at a somewhat cracked ceiling. This was obviously some kind of make shift hospital the people of Lake Town made in the City of Vale. Jaune started to feel really confused when he came to a startling realization. _"How am I alive?!"_ Jaune specifically remembered Cinder stabbing him through the chest with a burning glass spike. He remembered the excruciating pain of his heart being ripped in two. And yet, he could feel his heart beating in his chest, with the heart monitor beeping to prove it.

Using his right hand he moved it to his right side, where he remembered getting stabbed by one of the Lieutenants. He stopped searching when he felt a bandage over the area he felt pain.

Before he attempted to sit up, he realized that his left hand wasn't moving the way he wanted to. His left hand felt like there was a great weight on it. It was warm and soft, and it felt like skin. Then he realized his hand was in someone else's. From telling what was in his hand, he was able to guess what was resting on it. Someone was resting their head on top of their hands. Jaune tried to move his hand out from underneath the person's head, but he felt their grip on his hand get tighter.

Jaune moved his right hand under him to try and lift himself up. He was in a lot of pain and was forced to close his eyes until he finally managed to sit up.

He looked to his right hand and saw that the person resting their head on his hand was a woman. Her face was facing the opposite direction.

The woman had red hair in a ponytail. Jaune started to think it was Carol, but then he took into account that this woman's hair was _completely_ red instead of _partially_ red. " _Who is…_?" Jaune's thought was frozen when the woman rolled her head to reveal who it was. Jaune trying to sit up caused her to shift her head, and after she did, she felt the sudden urge to open her eyes. Once her green eyes moved up Jaune's arm and met with his, Jaune's eye started to tear up and then flow like a waterfall. Tears were bleeding through the bandage on his right eye as well. And then he said a word that was both difficult, and he personally never thought he'd say it again. "P-P-Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha lifted her head, tears started to drop form her face as well. She was happy, scared, excited, and nervous. Her mind was going crazy, she couldn't think of what to say until two words came to mind. "Hello, again."

 **(Jaune and Pyrrha's theme would be playing at this point.)**

Jaune was shaking as tears were still dripping off his face. He opened his mouth to speak again, and the only word he could get out was, "How…?"

Pyrrha felt a little overwhelmed at first, but then she answered, "It's… hard to explain. But basically, you saved me, Jaune."

He just kept shaking, using his left hand that was still in Pyrrha's; he suddenly pulled her in for a hug. Pyrrha didn't hesitate to hug him back. Jaune buried his head into her neck, crying, taking in deep breaths. Pyrrha hugged him tight, with tears dropping down her own face. She could only smile as she held the knight that she almost lost twice.

They held each other for who knows how long, minutes, hours? When they finally let go, they looked each other in the eye. Pyrrha was about to say something but was cut off when Jaune pressed his lips onto hers. He had his eye squeezed tight as he kissed her passionately. At first, Pyrrha was in complete shock by his sudden move. But then she slowly closed her eyes and kissed him back with as much passion as she could muster.

Jaune had been waiting for almost two years to return what she gave him the night that Beacon fell, and he wasn't going to waste it like last time. Jaune wrapped both his hands around Pyrrha's lower back and held her close. Pyrrha never felt so… so… happy. For the first time since she woke up from her coma, she felt happy being in Jaune's arms. Even when he was kissing her, she wanted to stay like this forever. She moved her hands over his shoulders and slowly made their way to his neck.

They both finally let go in order to breath. They were both panting as the pressed their foreheads together.

Jaune was first to pull his head back in order to look Pyrrha in the eye, "I have been waiting for two years to do that… I never thought I'd see you again…"

"Me neither…" Pyrrha said as she rested her head on his chest. She turned to her left, having her right ear push against his chest. She could hear his heart, it was strong and steady. She'd never been so glad to hear that steady beat. "When I found you in that tower, I thought you were going to die."

Jaune's eye widened, "So that was you… I thought it was… something else." Jaune honestly thought the 'Pyrrha' that he saw was the same one he'd been talking to for the past two years.

Jaune let her go and held her shoulders, "What were you doing at the tower?"

Pyrrha wiped her tears and smiled, "It's a long story." They spoke for more than two hours. Telling each other stories of what they've been doing since they separated. Jaune explained his powers, his heritage, his training, and just about everything he and the company did on their way to Beacon.

Pyrrha told him about how she woke up in the dungeons of the Spire, how Cinder was trying to torture her, that every attempt to do so failed, and then about Emerald switching sides. When she spoke about what was going on beneath the tower that night, Jaune learned new information. Ozpin and Qrow's involvement, what they planned to do, how they planned to do her and the last Fall Maiden. Jaune didn't know how to feel about it, but his thought was stopped when Pyrrha told him about her talk with her aura clone, and how she and Pyrrha both saved him from his fatal wound.

Jaune had the bed reclined so that he was sitting up. He had no shirt on; revealing not only the scars he received from his training and his fit muscles, Pyrrha also had full view of the scar of the fatal wound Cinder gave him before he killed her. Pyrrha was sitting on the bed, close to his lap. "So… She gave up her existence for me…"

"She said it was her purpose." Pyrrha said with a sympathetic nod.

"I knew she wasn't you… But she was all I had left of you." Jaune said with a regretful tone. He started to sound guilty. "But she saved me from myself."

Pyrrha listened as Jaune continued, "When I found the Arkenstone, it saw that I was vulnerable to the temptation of using it out of anger and rage to win. But it was _her_ who helped bring me back from the darkness… She stopped me from killing Ruby when the stone almost fully corrupted me." The guilt and shame was all over Jaune's face.

Pyrrha lifted her hand and brushed it over the bandage on his right eye. "Can you…? Is it…?"

"It was working in the fight. But afterwards, I have no idea while this bandage is on." Jaune spoke softly.

"I want to see." Pyrrha said as she started to pull on the bandage.

Jaune grabbed her arm to stop her, "I… I don't want you to see me like this."

"I need to see it… I have to see what I've done to you." Pyrrha said as she removed his hand from her arm. Once he let go, she put her hand in his, while keeping the other on the bandage as she pulled it off. She pulled slowly, trying not to open the wound and cause more bleeding. He grunted at the pain once the bandage was being pulled off the soft tissue of the wound itself. Pyrrha could feel his grip on her hand get tighter. It was almost too tight for her liking, but she held on anyway. And with one last pull, the bandage was completely off his eye.

The soft tissue was light red with a small red crack running down the middle. The cut stopped just a few centimeters from where the edge of the eye socket reached his eyelids. Jaune slowly opened his eye to reveal his sapphire eyes. They looked undamaged and unscathed.

On Jaune's end, he could see perfectly, and now, he could see Pyrrha with both his eyes. He started to smile at the fact that he could see again, but now he became worried when he saw the look on Pyrrha's face. She looked sad and guilty, the same look she had when she thought she killed Penny. "How bad is it?"

"Oh, Jaune… I'm so sorry I did this to you." Pyrrha said as she rested her hands shoulders and laying her forehead on his chest. Jaune could feel tears drip down his chest. "It was all my fault that any of this happened, Beacon falling, you suffering my death, and all your wounds."

Jaune coiled his fingers around her hands, "Pyrrha… Don't apologize, you don't have to… I forgave you a long time ago…" He pulled her in for another hug, this time, Pyrrha was crying into his shoulder.

"We can't change the past… We can only hope for a better future…" Jaune said as he slid his hand up and down on her back. "And I want you to be a part of it."

Pyrrha let go and looked Jaune in the eye, "I promise, that no matter what happens, no matter what we go through, I will _always_ be by your side."

"I promise the same for you." Jaune said with a smile. They were about to kiss again, but they were stopped when the door at the end of the room opened. They both turned to see General Carolina Arc enter.

"Oh, I could come back." Carol said with a teasing grin.

"No, its fine, Carol." Jaune said.

Carol walked in with a few folded clothes in her hand. "I brought you some new cloths." She chuckled a little as she continued, "Considering they cut your old ones to pieces while they operated." Carol set them down on the foot of the bed and then pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side of Jaune from Pyrrha.

Carol turned to Pyrrha with shock, "Where are my manners, I'm Carolina Arc, Jaune's oldest sister." Carol held out her hand.

Pyrrha shook Carol's hand, "Hello, I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"Oh, so you're Nikos… I've heard a lot about you from this guy." Carol said with a smile as she pointed at Jaune. "Man, the stories he told me… Did you really throw your blade at him and pin him to a tree? That's an icebreaker if there ever was one." Pyrrha somewhat blushed at the mention on how they came to be partners.

Jaune cleared his throat to get his sisters attention. He looked at his big sister and was somewhat shocked to see her in such a positive mood. "What's the status of the Sky Knights?"

Carol smiled, "You saved a lot of lives."

Jaune gave a look of confusion to her answer, Carol continued, "When you took on Cinder, you cut the brain out of the army. Atlas and the Militia were quickly able to drive the Grimm out of the city and link up with us to push the Grimm back into their tunnels. After that, we sealed the tunnels with rockets, and buried them."

Jaune couldn't shake the feeling of guilt, "How many did you lose?"

Carol leaned on the back of her chair and crossed her arms, "You don't need to know that, Jaune… Just know that you saved a lot of people yesterday."

Jaune could feel a hand grip his left hand, he turned to see Pyrrha holding it. She gave him a smile and a small nod in agreement with Carol.

"Anyway, I also came to take you to the 'Commander's meeting'. It's waiting on you." Carol said as she stood up.

"Commander's meeting?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, it's the meeting we have in the aftermath of a battle. Since you are technically the Supreme Commander of the Sky Knights of Vale, you are supposed to attend this meeting. And don't worry, I cleared it with the doctors; they said you can walk, but you'll need those crutches." Carol said as she pointed to the crutches behind Pyrrha. Carol then stood up and walked to the door. "I'll wait for you outside." Carol left and closed the door behind her, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha alone again.

Pyrrha looked to Jaune, and he looked to her, "You better get dressed. I'll wait for you outside."

Before she could get up and let go of Jaune's hand, Jaune held onto her, "Please stay. I don't want to be alone right now." Pyrrha nodded in understanding. She took a few steps away from him while he was getting out of bed. Jaune moved the blanket off his legs, revealing a few bandages on his thigh and calf. The glass spike that Cinder impaled his leg with did the damage, but when he tried to stand on it he almost fell to the floor. Pyrrha caught him before his knees would hit the ground and lifted him back up.

Luckily for him, he was still wearing underwear. He grabbed the pants in the pile Carol left him and put them on at the edge of the bed; then his socks and boots.

Before he put on his shirt, he saw the scar tissue on his chest. It was right where he remembered Cinder stabbing him. From behind, Pyrrha see the exit wound to Cinder's spike. There was a small circle of scar tissue close to his spine, but just off center. She felt a sort of chill run down their spine as she had a sudden flash back of Cinder shooting through her chest with an arrow. Seeing this scar, it appears Jaune suffered worse than she did.

Pyrrha walked over to the crutches next to the bed and brought them to him. Jaune took them and started to walk with them to the door. He'd used crutches before; during his training he'd broken a leg once or twice. With her help, Jaune got on the crutches and walked over to the door. Pyrrha opened it and followed him outside the room and into a hallway.

As they walked through the hallway, they reached a more open room in the building. Judging from the architecture, they were inside Vale's main capital building. "They must have converted the building into a makeshift hospital." As they entered the larger room, there were people being treated, a lot of medics tending to their wounds, as well as a few soldiers standing guard at all the entrances. The moment they were in the room, almost every solder within sight of them faced them. From Vale Sky Knights to Atlas troopers, even the field medics. Every single one of them looked at Jaune.

He started to feel guilty; after all, he almost started a war between Atlas and Vale for no real reason. But before he knew it, every single soldier was saluting.

Carol was standing by the entrance and walked up next to Jaune. "They're saluting to you, Jaune."

"Why?" Jaune asked with confusion.

"I told you… You saved a lot of lives. Including theirs." Carol said with confidence, and a little bit of pride. Jaune felt an overwhelming since of gratitude and high honor. He stood up straight as best he could on one leg, and then saluted to them.

The other soldiers then returned to their duties as they were before Jaune entered the room. As they were walking towards the main office of the building, two familiar faces greeted Jaune and Pyrrha.

"JAUNE!"

Ruby flew across the hall and wrapped her arms around Jaune. Jaune at first groaned to the pain of Ruby pressing on his bandages. "Ruby… too tight…"

"Oh, sorry." Ruby immediately let go.

"It's good to see that you're up and moving. The others would be happy to see it." Penny said as she approached the group.

Jaune looked to Ruby with eyes full of guilt. "Ruby… About what I said… I…"

Ruby gave Jaune another hug, one not so tight this time, but tight enough to show that she still cared for him. "I know that wasn't you… And I'm glad that you managed to find your way back to us." Jaune gave a tearful smile and hugged her back with his free hand. The sight of their hug almost made Pyrrha cry with tears of joy. Ruby told her about what Jaune almost did while under the influence of the Arkenstone. At first she didn't believe it, but when Jaune told her about it, her fear was that his and Ruby's friendship would have suffered in the process.

"Where are the others anyway?" Pyrrha asked.

"Some of them got a few wounds before the battle ended. They're being treated now." Penny stated.

Jaune and Ruby ended the hug. Jaune looked to Ruby with a fearful look on his face. "Are they ok?"

"So far I've heard nothing too major." Penny said with a grin.

"Hate to breakup this reunion, but the meeting is already started. I'd hate for us to miss it." Carol said with a half-smile.

Jaune then had an idea, "Why don't you come too? You're a leader too."

All four of them turned to Carol to see if the General would approve it. She shrugged, "Sure… why not."

They then continued down the hallway towards the office. As they were walking, Pyrrha looked to Penny with a little bit of guilt. The last time she saw her, she killed her. Penny looked to Pyrrha when she noticed that Pyrrha was looking at her, she gave her a smile. "You don't have to apologize to me, Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha was a bit caught off guard by Penny's statement. "But I was the one…"

"It wasn't your fault, and I don't blame you for it." Penny said as she held out her hand, "I hope there will come a day where we can be as close friends to each other as we are to Ruby."

Pyrrha was a bit hesitant at first and then took Penny's hand and shook, "I'd like that."

"Here we are."

Pyrrha and Penny were both pulled out of their conversation and brought their attention to the door in front of them. There were two guards posted at the door, one on either side; one from Atlas, the other a Sky Knight of Vale. Both saluted to as the group approached the door.

"General, Lieutenant… Supreme Commander." They both ended their salute after the Atlas solder spoke. The solider looked to Jaune when he said 'Supreme Commander'. "The meeting has already started." The soldier then opened the door and let the group enter.

As the group entered, two more soldiers whom immediately backed off when they saw Jaune inter the room greeted them. Inside the office they saw a large table that was projecting a holographic image of Beacon, Vale and the ruins of the Spire. Surrounding the table was General Ironwood, Professor Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, Qrow Branwen, Winter Schnee, and Kida Atlantia. When Jaune and his mother's eyes met, they didn't know what to do. Jaune was always afraid to face his mother. For over three years, he has not seen, talked to, or even called her. Not because he was mad at her, he was _never_ mad at her; he just ran away after his father was declared MIA. Secretly, he hoped to become a huntsman to go and look for him and bring him back home to her. Even after Beacon fell, he couldn't face her after running away, he was always afraid that she would be angry when they met again. And now here she is… in the middle of a 'Commander's Meeting' after an epic battle that he was in the middle of.

Kida walked away from the table, towards Jaune. She walked up to Jaune and looked right at him. He tried to hide his shame, and his eye wound, by turning his head away. As she was within arm's reach of him, she clutched his cheat that was away from her and turned him towards her.

Jaune looked her in the eye as she spoke, "I am proud… that you got this far on your own…" She then lightly hugged him. Jaune returned her hug with one his free hand.

He let out a subtle sigh of relief as he whispered, "I wasn't always alone." They both let go, allowing Jaune to approach the table and stand with the other leaders of the allied armies.

"Glad to see you're doing well, Mr. Arc." Winter said with a compassionate smile.

"On to the matter at hand." Ironwood said to the others.

"Coldhearted as ever, eh, Jimmy?" Qrow said after taking a sip form his flask.

Ironwood ignored Qrow's statement and continued. "We must disgust the matter of the Arkenstone. My men have searched Beacon for it and have found nothing."

"Again with the stone?" Glynda asked with an irritated voice.

"That jewel is the cause for all of this. It must be stored away like the others. That is what should have been done a long time ago." Ironwood said with a justifiable glare.

"You won't find it in Beacon," Jaune said to the other leaders in a very serious tone, "I destroyed it." Everyone in the room went silent. The look of shock on everyone's faces was proof to their surprise. But Pyrrha, Ruby and Penny were unfazed by Jaune's statement.

"You destroyed the stone? How?" Glynda was the first to break the silence.

"I crushed it in my hand," Jaune said as he raised his right hand up, "The stone tried to corrupt my soul. I was able to break out of its influence in time to stop it. If I were to guess, my aura allowed me to break it."

Ozpin felt a slight awe at Jaune's words. Never in the existence of the dark stones was it ever believed that they could be destroyed. For decades they had been pounded by hammers, scorched by fires and hit with enough dust to flatten a mountain and receive no damage. And now he hears that Jaune was able to crush such a stone with his bare hand?

"Well, that takes care of _that_ matter, wouldn't you say, General?" Ozpin asked Ironwood with a small smile. Ironwood's shock ended after Ozpin spoke. He had a look of both shock and confusion still on his face, but he continued with the meeting.

"The White Fang. With their leader in our custody, and with the Grimm defeated, less than half their army surrendered to our troops. We have taken over 12 hundred prisoners."

"Yeah, in 'our custody', he means 'in our ICU'." Qrow chuckled, and a little bit of pride in his niece's work.

"We also have Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and Neopolitan in lock up as well. I recommend we take them to our high-security prisons in Atlas." Ironwood suggested.

"No," Pyrrha said as she approached the table, "Emerald and Neo are the reason I'm here now. If it weren't for them, Locus would have taken me somewhere else. Speaking of which, do you have him?"

"Locus?" Winter asked in confusion.

"He was the leader of the black armored mercenaries that arrived a few days ago. I think they called themselves 'Shadow Troopers'." Pyrrha said.

"The mercenaries that were at the Spire when your company attacked have disappeared. The only bodies we have been able to find were people form the White Fang. And the leader 'Locus' has not been found." Carol said as she pulled up the images they had of the Spire now.

"That still doesn't convince me that they are not to be detained. They both have committed acts of both first degree murder and treason." Ironwood said with a cold glare towards Pyrrha.

"They could be more valuable to us than you would think, General." Carol said.

"What are you suggesting?" Winter asked.

"Well, she defected the moment she saved Pyrrha from Locus. Maybe she'd be willing to share some _much needed_ information." Carol suggested.

"Such as?" Glynda asked.

"Well, for one thing, how the hell a nobody like Cinder Fall managed to not only steal a Maiden's powers, but release a fifty-foot-tall Grimm Dragon and take away Vale's capital. If you ask me, she and her pink-and-brown-haired friend have a vast wealth of information." Carol finished with a wink towards Pyrrha.

"I concur," Ozpin said to the others, "Does anyone else have something to say?"

Everyone looked around the room to see if anyone else had an input to make. Seeing that nobody had any, Ironwood ended the meeting. "Very well." Ironwood pressed the button on the table as he said, "Meeting date, January 4, 83 A.G.W." once he let go of the button the recording ended, " This meeting is adjourned."

Just before Jaune could turn towards the door, Ozpin called to him. "Jaune, if you don't mind, we would like to speak to you." Jaune remained where he stood at the table while Ruby, Penny, Winter, Carol and his mother left. Before Pyrrha could leave, Jaune turned to her and grabbed her hand, silently telling her to stay.

"Ms. Nikos, if you don't mind we would like to Jaune alone." Ozpin said.

"Pyrrha can stay," Jaune said with a very serious voice, "I don't like keeping secrets from her." Jaune looked to both Ozpin and Qrow when he said that. She didn't feel like leaving anyway. Jaune gave a hard glare at Ozpin; to say he looked angry would be an understatement.

"Pyrrha told me everything, Ozpin… At least, what she knew… Why didn't you tell me?" Jaune asked with a voice full of betrayal and pain. All four of the members of the "Inner Circle" looked away, hiding from their own guilt. "You could have stopped all of this from happening if you had told me from the beginning!" Jaune continued, but they still didn't respond to him; what he said next broke their silence, "I could have been your Guardian for you… Hell, I was meant to be the Guardian of Vale in the first place!"

"Your father begged me to keep you out of it, Jaune." Ozpin said with a serious voice of his own.

"You pulled me into it the moment you pulled my partner into it!" Jaune said as he pointed to Pyrrha. Pyrrha remained silent; she had nothing to say to any of them. She also knew that if she tried calm Jaune down in any way he would never get the answers he's been searching for the past two years.

"Would you have even believed us if we brought you into it?" Qrow asked in a defensive tone.

Jaune turned his glare to Qrow, looking at him with the same disgust he had for Ozpin, "You had no problem convincing Pyrrha of it, why wouldn't I believe it too? Plus, you were the one who introduced me to the Star Knight legend in the first place… How could I not believe it?" Jaune gave all of them a hard look, "You just used us… we were pawns in your own game."

"Jaune, there is more at stake here than the lives of a couple hunters." Ironwood said coldly.

"Easy for you to say when it isn't someone you care for that dies." Jaune spat back at the general.

"Jaune, you've seen what we're up against… we did what we thought was right!" Glynda said with a justifiable glare.

"AND YOU WERE WRONG!" Jaune shouted, Pyrrha held onto his shoulder, as a means to calm him down. Jaune took a small breath and sighed, "How many people would have had to die before you would consider telling me the truth?" None of them had anything to say after that. Jaune was still full of anger from their excuses; he didn't want to talk to them anymore. He quickly turned around, looked at Pyrrha with a look that said 'let's go'. As he walked to the door, Pyrrha followed, leaving the members of the 'Inner Circle' where they were. Pyrrha opened the door for Jaune, and just before they walked out, Ozpin spoke.

"Jaune… Just before your father died, he wanted me to tell you that he loved you… and that he was proud of you." Ozpin said as a tear ran down his face. Jaune was frozen in place. He hadn't heard anything new of his father since he ran away from home three years ago. And now Ozpin is telling him his father's last words. Jaune started to feel disgusted with himself; after everything they have done to keep him safe as his father wanted them to do, he was spitting in their faces. Pyrrha saw the look in Jaune's eyes; he may have anger towards them for keeping him in the dark, but the reason for it was still a just one.

There was one more question that was gnawing at him, "Did my mother know about all this?"

"No." Ozpin said calmly. "Your father kept you _and_ your mother in the dark; he didn't want her to have any secrets like this from you."

Jaune stood up straight on his right leg, he couldn't face them, but that didn't stop him from speaking, "My father loved you like brother… as any partner or friend would. That is the only reason why I'm talking to you at all." He stopped talking for what felt like five minutes but was really ten seconds, "I might forgive you for what you've done, with time. But for now, I just can't." Jaune finished with words sounding close to a whisper.

"If you do, you know where to find us." Ozpin said with a sympathetic tone. Jaune slowly turned his head so that they could see the side of his face, and he gave them a slow nod. He then leaned on his crutch and walked out of the room, with Pyrrha right behind him.

After the door closed, Glynda turned to Ozpin, "He has to know, Ozpin… We need to tell him."

"He will come to us when he's ready… Until then, we prepare." Ozpin said as he started to walk over to the door.

"He's a Zenith." Qrow said with a very serious tone.

"Are you sure?" Ironwood asked with shock on his face.

"It's the only logical possibility; he was able to destroy the Arkenstone." Glynda stated.

"I saw the wings myself." Qrow said as he placed his scroll on the table. The table then projected a 3D image of Jaune floating above the Spire with his wings spread wide open.

"Is that the reason why Jonah wanted him out of this?" Qrow asked before Ozpin could leave.

"Yes… But as it would seem, we truly have no say in the matter." Ozpin said as he opened the door, "All we can do now is wait and prepare."

* * *

As the pair exited the room, they decided to go to the main hall of the capital. There they were met up with the rest of the company. Ruby was the first to speak.

"How did it go?"

"It's a conversation… that will have to continue another time." Jaune said with a calm voice. Pyrrha rested her hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to her and they shared a smile. Their moment was cut short when Carol and Kida walked up to them.

"Jaune… There are a few more things that need to be done…" Kida said in a sad tone. As Kida was speaking to the group, the members of the Inner Circle entered the main hall. General Ironwood saw Penny and Winter in the group, so he walked up to her. Penny heard the general coming; she quickly turned to him as he walked up to her. Winter saw Ironwood approach Penny, she started to feel worried for her, so she walked up behind Penny when Ironwood reached her.

Before Ironwood could say anything, Penny spoke first, "I'm not going back home… not yet." She said with a calm voice. She didn't look angry, she actually looked quite sad. Winter didn't expect such a statement form Penny. Mostly because she didn't think she had it in her.

Penny heard the group leave the building and was about to follow them, but was stopped by Ironwood's question. "Where will you go?"

Penny quickly turned to him and answered, "Patch… Ruby said I could stay with her and her sister for a while. After that, I don't know."

"Go to Minas Tirith. I heard you were offered a positon in the Sky Knights of Atlas… I'll put in a good word to Supreme Commander Boromir." Ironwood said with a more… hopeful tone. Penny nodded in understanding. Ironwood stopped her again when he finished, "Penny… If your father were here now… he would be proud of the _woman_ you've become." Penny felt something drip down her face. She looked down to see it was some kind of clear liquid. She started to smile uncontrollably as she turned around to the general and saluted to him. He saluted back to her and then she left.

"Sky knights… I never thought you'd let her join them." Winter said with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"It's what her father would have wanted." Ironwood said while still looking at Penny as she was leaving. Once she was out of sight he turned to Winter, "I also heard you were offered a similar positon; General Numenor's second officer. Why haven't you accepted?"

Winter looked to Ironwood with a bit of shock on her face, "I thought you would want me to stand by you?"

For the first time, General Ironwood gave Winter a smirk and said, "I have nothing more to teach you. Plus, I'm sure Faramir would be happy to see you again." Winter stood straight and saluted to Ironwood, he then saluted to her in response.

* * *

(The next day/Beacon courtyard)

After everyone was gathered to the main courtyard of Beacon Academy. One of the first buildings to be fully repaired was the CCT tower.

A great majority of Vale's community attended the ceremony/funeral. A great many more tuned in on the CCT Network.

Once everyone was seated and all Sky Knights of Vale were in their positions in the courtyard, six knights, including their General carried the casket of their fallen Supreme Commander.

Once the casket was brought up to the stage in the center of the courtyard, it was set down on a platform. All the Sky knights, except for the general exited the stage.

General Carolina Arc, oldest daughter of Jonah Arc, and Sky Knight General, walked up to the podium at the end of the stage. Before speaking, General Arc tapped on the microphone to be sure it was on. Once she heard the taps coming from the speakers, she spoke.

"For the past two years, we have all suffered some kind of loss. Loss of loved ones... the loss of our home...the loss of hope… This day will be the first day of rebuilding. And while we mourn our dead, we will also remember why they gave their lives: so that we could see days like this come." Carol said with as best a straight face as she could. She was trying her best not to cry, after all, it was her father that was in that casket behind her.

"My father… he gave his life for this kingdom… for our people… He was the Star Knight of Vale in his generation… But now his guard has ended." Carol said.

"Now his guard has ended," Said by every Sky Knight that was present. They didn't say it loud, more like a whisper; but so many said it at once, making it loud enough for everyone heard.

"Jaune Arc… Please step forward." Carol said. Jaune stood up from his seat, Pyrrha helped him to stand. Jaune's leg was mostly healed thanks to his aura, but he still didn't make a full recovery yet. Jaune used a cane to walk up to the stage and walked up to his sister.

From the left side, one of General Arc's best officers, Major Tucker, handed her Joyuse, the Arc family sword. Once she took the sword, Tucker walked away.

Carol then held it with both hands and had the blade pointed straight down. Once Jaune was standing in front of her she spoke softly, "Kneel."

Jaune knelt on his strong leg **_(Left leg)_** and rested his cane flat on the floor.

Carol lifted Joyuse up and rested it on Jaune's left shoulder, "Do you swear that you will fight and defend this country to your last breath?"

"I swear." Jaune said calmly.

Carol then raised the sword up over Jaune's head and rested the side of the blade on his other shoulder, "Do you swear that you will never succumb to your darkness and take advantage of others with your power?"

"I swear." Jaune felt nervous, he could feel his hand shaking as it was rested on his left leg.

Carol then removed the sword of his shoulder and then moved it back to how it was at the beginning, "Now say your vow."

" ** _As the last star falls, my star rises._** " Jaune said with a serious tone. " ** _I am the light that shines in the shadow. I am the sword of my kingdom; I am the shield for her people._** "

The vow was one of the first things his sister made him learn when he started his training two years ago; for the vow is the only thing that keeps a knight morally in check.

General Arc raised the sword up and held the grip with her left hand and the fuller of the blade with her right. "By the power vested in me as the Sky Knight General, I now name you **_'Sir Jaune Arc, Star Knight of Vale'_**."

Jaune then stood up to see Carol holding the sword horizontally; she then held it to Jaune for him to take. Jaune slowly reached the sword and picked it up. Even though he had already held it in battle, it felt different holding it this time, this time he felt that he earned it.

The moment he picked up the sword, seven Sky Knights holding rifles stood at attention. "Present arms!" shouted an officer. The riflemen pointed their rifles in the air and fired three times.

Jaune then sheathed Joyuse into his shield/sheath, filling the empty space on his belt.

Before Jaune could react his sister moved her head close to his right ear and whispered, "Dad would be proud of you right now. And so am I."

Once she backed up she saluted to her newly appointed Supreme Commander.

After the three shots were fired, the crowd before them started to applaud the knighthood. Jaune looked out to see all his friends and family in the crowd clapping along with them.

Jaune could feel his cheeks make a smile, there were a few tears that dripped down his face as well.

* * *

After the ceremony, the massive group of people began planning a party that afternoon to celebrate their victory and to honor the dead. There were songs being sung, tales told, and people enjoying what they have reclaimed. Jaune and Pyrrha were exiting walking out of Beacon and making their way to the airport. There was a Bullhead parked there that was going to take them to Pyrrha's home. Ruby walked with them as they were walking out of the main gate.

"They plan on singing songs, telling stories, and playing all kinds of games. Are you sure you two can't stay?" Ruby asked.

"Sorry, Ruby. But I need to make sure my family knows that I'm ok." Pyrrha said with a half-smile.

"Well, tell the others we said goodbye, will ya?" Jaune asked as he picked up his backpack.

"Tell them yourself." They all heard a voice behind them speak. They knew immediately that it was Nora who spoke, and so they all turned to find the whole company there, standing in a row: Sun, Blake, Yang, Penny, Ren, Nora, Weiss, Neptune, Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi.

Jaune couldn't help but smile at the sight off all his friends… no, of his family. Jaune almost wanted to cry, "We'll be back soon, and we'll throw a party of our own." Jaune felt his heart beat fast as he spoke, what he said next brought a few tears, "I cannot tell you all… how thankful I am… to have people like you as my friends and family."

Pyrrha didn't have to say anything; Jaune was practically reading her mind as he was speaking. "We'll be back soon." Jaune finished. Nora quickly ran up to them both and gave them both a strong hug. After she let go, Ruby gave one to them before they head off to the Bullhead.

* * *

(On the flight to Mistral's capital)

Jaune was sitting next to Pyrrha on the bullhead, he started to feel queasy. "Geez, I have wings of my own and I still get airsick."

"Maybe it's because we're in a Bullhead?" Pyrrha asked with a smile on her face.

"Probably." Jaune said with a smile. He then looked down to see that they were holding hands, and their fingers were interlocked.

Jaune looked to Pyrrha as he spoke, "Hey, Pyrrha?"

"Hmm?" She hummed as she faced him.

"I love you," he said plain and simple.

At first she was shocked by his sudden directness, but then she smiled back at him and replied, "I love you, too." Pyrrha then rested her head on his shoulder as they both fell asleep in each other's arms the rest of the flight to Mistral.

* * *

 **AN: No… It is not over.**

 **In the movie, this is where the credits would roll, but in this movie, there are AFTER CREDITS!**

 **Sorry it took so long to write this chapter! I had school work that kept getting in the way, and so I had to put this chapter on hold until I got it done.**

 **The next chapter will be coming out next week from today, I promise!**


	30. (After Credits)

**(After Credits!)**

* * *

 **AN: Now, like Marvel Movies, this is the after credits to the movie.**

* * *

(The Tower Fortress of Barad Dur)

On the top balcony, there stood a woman in a black kimono. Her hair was pale white, and her skin was of a matching tone. Black roots were on her face from her hair to her eyes. Her irises were blood red while whites of her eyes were completely black.

"Mistress Salem…" said a low voice from behind. Salem turned around slowly to find a man in black and green armor behind her. The armor was cracked and broken, while the helmet itself was broken in half to reveal the man's face.

" **Locus,** " Salem said with a calm voice.

"Cinder is dead, most of the White Fang have surrendered, the Grimm-Orc army was scattered, and the Arkenstone is destroyed," Locus said with ragged breaths as he slowly walked out of the shadows.

" **Who do you think is at fault for this failure?** " Salem asked with a disappointing look.

"The fault goes to Cinder Fall." Another man said as he was coming out of the shadows behind Locus. The man was wearing a white cloak and had a black staff with a white Diamond Dust shard at the top of it.

Locus turned his head to see the man walk past him and recognized his face. "Saruman."

"Cinder's obsession with attaining the Maiden's powers is what drew the Arc knight to her in the first place. And making everyone believe that she killed Ms. Nikos only made things worse than better," Saruman said with a confident voice.

"At least she did something! When Arc was in Rivendell, you could have stopped him there and it would have kept all of this from happening!" Locus spat at the wizard with a disgusted tone.

" **Enough.** " Both Saruman and Locus turned to their mistress as she continued; while she didn't yell, her voice alone was enough to make them both become silent. " **Cinder Fall was a powerful pupil, but she was also short-tempered and arrogant.** " Salem then approached Locus. " **Why did you come here? You could have ran and hid after your failure, but you chose to appear before me instead.** "

"You promised me a new start, a new world…" Locus pulled off his right hand glove to reveal a robotic hand, "…and a new body for my service. I still wish to serve." He then lowered his head to her.

Salem gave Locus a confident smile as she turned back to the balcony, " **Even though you did not achieve your objectives… the four kingdoms believe the worst has passed, and that the war is over.** " Salem continued to the edge of the balcony and rested her hands on the guardrails, " **But my sister and her little friends aren't stupid enough to believe that. All the same, however, we have an advantage.** "

"What advantage?" Locus asked in a respectful manner.

" **The kingdoms of man will not be ready for our armies when they come.** " Salem said with a confident voice.

"There is also the matter of the Ring; it still remains in hiding." Saruman said.

" **The Ring will reveal itself when it is ready, and when humanity is nothing more than a memory…** " Salem turned to the two men and gave them a confident smile, " **...then my vengeance will be complete.** "

* * *

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **AN: I would like to thank _Nightengale4698_ and _Breakawayfan_ for being my Beta Readers and partners in this story. They have both been helpful though this story.**

 **This story at first was a means of coping for the loss of Pyrrha, and it evolved into this… I am quite proud of that.** **Jaune Arc is, and always will be, my favorite character in the RWBY universe. I hope in the upcoming Vol. 4 of RWBY, he will be able to show everyone how powerful he is and how great of a leader he can be.**

 **And before anyone asks, the answer is 'YES!' There will be a sequel story to this one based on the Lord of the Rings. I will begin working on that story soon, but I won't be able to publish it until mid-December, because of school.**

 **Thank you all for reading this story, and staying with me up till the end. Your support and reviews have been very encouraging and very helpful though the time of writing this story.**

 **Shout out to all the readers who gave me not only kind reviews, but also inspiring reviews throughout the time I wrote this:**

 ** _Lycan13_**

 ** _Nightengale4698_**

 ** _Breakawayfan_**

 ** _Rune sensei_**

 ** _Hedgehog of Time_**

 ** _Darkflameknight_**

 ** _Paul Jordan_**

 ** _Forerunner1_**

 **Thank you all again for your support, and I hope to see you all writing reviews in the sequel!**


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